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BMW doubles battery production capacity at its South Carolina plant

BMW has doubled its production capacity of high-voltage batteries at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The battery facility now produces new fourth-generation batteries for the plug-in hybrid models of BMW’s new X5 and its future X3, both of which are also produced in Spartanburg.

In the past four years, the plant’s battery assembly team has produced a total of more than 45,000 batteries. BMW says the new assembly line can handle different types of fourth-generation batteries to serve the growing range of EVs locally. The automaker plans to employ more than 120 people in battery production at Plant Spartanburg by the end of the year.

BMW built its first PHEV, the X5 xDrive40e, at its Spartanburg location from 2015 to 2018. It plans to start production of the new X5 PHEV, the xDrive45e, in August 2019. Production of the X3 xDrive30e will start in December.

“We have invested around ten million US dollars in a new battery assembly line and expanded the area to more than 8,000 square meters. This means we could double the number of batteries produced if needed to meet market demand,” said Michael Nikolaides, Senior Vice President at BMW.

Source: BMW

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