What was the starting point for this project in terms of the BMW Group’s previous experience in electric vehicle (EV) technology and production of powertrains and batteries?

The Dingolfing and Landshut plants started series production of e-motors and batteries for the BMW i3 in 2013, and soon after for the BMW i8. The experience from prototype production of alternative drivetrains, our aluminium expertise as well as our knowledge in the series production of combustion engines were transferred and integrated in the industrialisation process.

In 2015, new production lines for e-motors and batteries for several PHEV models were set up at Dingolfing. As the production volume of PHEV models rose, production of electric drivetrain components was increased significantly and Dingolfing subsequently became the BMW Group’s competence centre for e-drive production. Currently, we are significantly raising the volume of e-drive components of the fourth generation. Further, we are already preparing for the launch of the fifth generation of e-drive components from 2020 onwards.