Working toward an all-electric lineup takes many years of preparation and BMW is massively investing in futureproofing its lineup. At the heart of every EV is its batteries, and being such a large automaker, the German luxury brand is going to need a lot of them. To that end, it’s expanding the battery manufacturing footprint with a new plant in Straßkirchen, a municipality in the Straubing-Bogen in Bavaria.
The proposal was made some time ago and it has now received the stamp of approval from the residents. A referendum was organized so that the locals could have their say in the matter, and 77 percent of the citizens cast their vote. BMW is happy to announce that more than 75 percent were in favor of erecting a battery plant in Straßkirchen.
The council’s “Yes to a BMW assembly plant for high-voltage batteries” motion will be followed next month by a second round of public consultation. In this stage, the company will share the findings of experts it has commissioned for the site. After finalizing the initial construction phase, the battery assembly factory is going to employ somewhere in the region of 1,600 people.
About 70 percent of these employees will be relocated from existing plants. As it stands, some 7,500 BMW Group workers are based within a 20-kilometer (12-mile) radius of the future factory. In addition, Straßkirchen will also host 50 apprentices. Back in February, BMW bought 105 hectares in the municipal areas of Straßkirchen and Irlbach. Moreover, it has the purchase rights for another 29 hectares in the adjacent area.
In the northern section of the new plant where the gates will be placed, BMW wants to create parking spaces and a bus station for employees in the initial phase. Later on, in the second phase of the construction, it’s going to build ground-level parking spaces and garages.
It’s worth pointing out that Straßkirchen was chosen from over 20 potential sites located in Bavaria alone.
Source: BMW
