BMW Group Develops Sustainable Material Cycle for Battery Cells
The BMW Group has therefore set the goal of creating a closed and sustainable material cycle for battery cells. With a new pilot plant that will produce lithium-ion battery cells, the company is taking the next logical step in penetrating all aspects of the battery cell value chain: from selection of materials, to battery cell composition and design, all the way to near standard production and recycling. The pilot plant will be built in Parsdorf, near Munich, and is scheduled to go into service in late 2022. The total project volume is almost 110 million euros and about 50 employees will work at the plant. The goal is to enhance battery cells’ performance capabilities and demonstrate large-scale manufacturability. To do so, the BMW Group will develop innovative production processes and systems, which will then be installed at the 14,000 square meters pilot plant. Using production processes and systems also employed in standard production, the company will be able to demonstrate the industrial feasibility of future battery cell generations. The main focus will be on optimising production efficiency, costs and quality. Building on know-how from the Battery Cell Competence Centre and, later, also from the pilot plant, the BMW Group will bring optimal battery cell technology to series maturity within the shortest implementation time possible and enable suppliers for battery cell production to its own specifications.
The German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy is supporting the project within the framework of the European funding process Important Projects of Common European Interest.
By 2023, the BMW Group will have 25 electrified models on the roads, as it systematically increases electrification across all brands and model series. This continued expansion and comprehensive battery cell expertise will give sustainability a major boost. At the same time, our models’ eDrive technology also ensures brand-typical dynamic performance and driving fun.
The company just opened a separate Battery Cell Competence Centre in Munich in November 2019, covering the entire battery cell value chain, from research and development to battery cell composition and design, all the way to large-scale manufacturability.
Source : STRATEGIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE