BMW officially opened the Irlbach-Straßkirchen plant in Lower Bavaria and launched series production of sixth-generation high-voltage batteries. The plant was built in approximately two and a half years, with investments totaling about 1 billion euros.
The first car to receive batteries from the new plant is the all-electric new generation BMW i3. Batteries are assembled for the BMW plant in Munich, where the electric version of the 3 Series is produced on the Neue Klasse architecture. In the future, the plant will supply battery systems to other German BMW plants.
Production started immediately in two shifts. BMW explains the accelerated transition to the planned scheme by high demand for Neue Klasse models. The plant has two assembly lines, and the staff is expected to number about 1,600 people.
Irlbach-Straßkirchen became part of BMW's Bavarian production chain based on the “local for local” principle: batteries are produced near the main car plants. Digital twins, end-to-end quality control, and artificial intelligence are used in assembly.
For BMW, the new plant is important not only as a source of batteries for the i3. The company is creating its own Gen6 production network, which should ensure the production of Neue Klasse electric vehicles in Germany without dependence on a single battery plant.