BMW breaks ground on “fossil fuel-free” EV battery logistics facility

German luxury automaker BMW Group has broken ground on a new battery logistics facility at its Plant Leipzig which will be the group’s first fossil fuel-free facility of this scale.

Plant Leipzig, hailed as one of the world’s most modern and sustainable car factories, will run all three stages of the high-voltage battery production process, including cell coating, module production, and assembly.

“Making the BMW i3, we were the BMW Group’s pioneer in electromobility. Now, with the development of e-component production and the upcoming launch of the Mini Countryman, the future is already taking shape,” said Petra Peterhänsel, director of Plant Liepzig.

Construction of the logistics facility, to be named Supply Centre North, will take place over two phases, with the first phase to include construction of a warehouse, two-storey office building, and loading tunnel with a combined gross area of 38,000 m².

A second phase of construction will take total investment for the new logistics facility up to as much as €100 million (around $A170 million, converted), by which point Supply Centre North will play host to approximately 500 employees.

The facility will feature a 3MW rooftop solar PV system, heat pump, a green roof atop the office building and trees situated strategically along the façade to keep indoor temperatures cool.

Outside, more than 5,700 trees and shrubs will continue the efforts of both the City of Leipzig and the BMW Group to build a green ring around Plant Leipzig.