New BMW battery production
The BMW Group has recently launched series production of battery modules at its plants in Leipzig and Regensburg thereby expanding its e-drive production network. The new production facility includes a battery paint shop.
Production of high-voltage batteries can be broken down into two stages: Battery modules are produced in a highly automated process. The lithium-ion cells first undergo a plasma cleaning, before a specially developed system coats the cells to ensure optimal insulation. Next, the battery cells are assembled into a larger unit, the so-called battery module. The battery modules are then installed in an aluminium housing, together with the connections to the vehicle, and the control and cooling units. The size and shape of the aluminium housing and the number of battery modules used differ according to the vehicle variant. This ensures the high-voltage battery is optimally adjusted to the vehicle. Coating increases the battery cell’s mechanical robustness and thermal conductivity. This helps improve insulation and cooling of the fifth-generation e-drive’s even more powerful battery cells. The first of four coating lines for fifth-generation battery cells went on stream in Regensburg in April 2021, occupying a production and logistics area of more than 40,000 m2. The three other systems will ramp up in stages between now and the end of 2021 to supply the growing volumes needed for the BMW Group’s fully electric vehicles. Up until now, battery cells have been coated at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing and the BMW Brilliance Automotive Plant Powertrain in Shenyang, China.
Further information: www.bmwgroup.com