BMW starts building its Gen6 EV batteries in China

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Shenyang becomes the third plant making the cylindrical-cell packs for the Neue Klasse.

BMW Group said on Oct 15 that it has started series production of its Gen6 high-voltage batteries in Shenyang, China. After Debrecen, Hungary, and Irlbach-Straßkirchen, Germany, it is the third site in BMW's Gen6 battery network, and its packs will power future Neue Klasse models built in China.

BMW says the new cylindrical cells offer more than 20% higher energy density than the previous cell generation, with charging speed and range up by as much as 30%. The packs use a cell-to-pack design: cells go straight into the battery housing with no module level. A BMW-developed control unit called the Energy Master sits on the battery and handles power-supply and battery-management functions.

Battery assembly sites in Woodruff, South Carolina, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico, are due to start series production in the coming months, according to BMW.

Sources: BMW Group PressClub · CnEVPost