BMW Will Build a $1.7 Billion EV Battery Factory In South Carolina

BMW says it will make batteries for its electric vehicles at a factory in South Carolina in the latest move by a major automaker to localize EV production in the United States. The Verge reports: The German company plans to invest $1.7 billion in the US, including $1 billion for EV production at BMW's Spartanburg plant and $700 million for a new battery-assembly facility in nearby Woodruff. By 2030, BMW says it will have at least six electric models in production in the US. Establishing a US-based EV plant will allow BMW's upcoming line of plug-in vehicles to qualify for the federal EV tax credit.

BMW said it is partnering with Envision AESC on its plans for a dedicated battery plant in South Carolina. The Japan-based energy company will produce round lithium-ion battery cells specifically designed for BMW's next-gen EV platform. When it's completed, the battery factory will have an annual capacity of 30 gigawatt-hours (GWh). BMW has also announced plans to build EV production facilities in Europe and China to meet demand. The company currently has several electric models for sale, including the i4 sedan and iX SUV.

$1.7 Billion EV Battery Factory

[PPH]

But who will buy these $1.7 billion EV batteries?

Re:

[fermion]

The question is what European executives are going to risk going to jail. Alabama arrested diamler executives. What is to stop North Carolina.

Re: $1.7 Billion EV Battery Factory

[IdanceNmyCar]

South Carolina... please don't mix us up with our more southern neighbors. That's almost as bad as mixing up the Virginias

Re:

[chill]

Slashdot doesn't support the HTML code tag, so this looks horrible, but...

Electric Car Plants

Date Manufacturer Location Investment

2021 Rivian Atlanta, GA $5 billion
2021 LiOn Electric Joliet, IL $70 million
2022 Canoo Pryor, OK $500 million - $1 billion
2022 Honda Marysville, OH $700 million
2022 Hyundai Savannah, GA $5 billion
2022 VW Chattanooga, TN $800 million

Battery Plants - Planned as of 10/25/2021

Manufacturer Location Plan Open

GM & LG Chem Lordstown, OH 2022
GM & LG Chem Spring Hill, TN 2022
SK Innovation Commerce, GA 2022
SK Innovation Commerce, GA 2023
Toyota Greensboro, TN 2025
Ford & SK Innovation Stanton, TN 2025
Ford & SK Innovation Glendale, KY 2025
Honda & LG Chem Columbus, OH 2025
Piedmont (Lithium) Etowah, TN 2025
Ford & SK Innovation Glendale, KY 2026
Tritium (Charging) Lebanon, TN 2026

Re:

[drinkypoo]

You can use ecode or tt but it still collapses spaces

Truly amazing what gov't handouts can do...

[haruchai]

to grease the wheels of "free enterprise"

Re:Truly amazing what gov't handouts can do...

[tempo36]

Does it also bother you that car manufacturers make combustion engines? Given that the US subsidizes the oil and gas industry to the tune of at least $20B a year (https://generation180.org/the-absurd-truth-about-fossil-fuel-subsidies/), you must be really pissed that car manufacturers keep making gasoline engines just to take advantage of our addiction to cheap fuel.

Re:

[tomhath]

Deducting cost of production is not a subsidy.

Re:Truly amazing what gov't handouts can do...

[SoftwareArtist]

Normally I'm skeptical that government subsidies really do much to grow business, but this one seems to really be working. Almost every week another company is announcing plans to assemble EVs and/or batteries in the US so they can benefit from that credit. It may help that the money goes direct to the consumer, not the company, so it's harder for them to game the system. They can't just take the money and then not do what they said they would, like seems to happen with a lot of subsidies.

If the goal is to bring more car and battery manufacturing to the US, the EV credit is clearly working.

Re:

[jacks smirking reven]

For real, is there a major worldwide automaker who hasn't announced an EV related factory plan in the US yet? There are 10 planned to come online in just the next 3 years.

If there's anything the EV skeptics should take to heart it's the fact that none of them have said "oh yeah, ICE is the king and future. we're sticking with that. Everyone else is wrong"

Re:

[swell]

"If the goal is to bring more car and battery manufacturing to the US, the EV credit is clearly working
"

Well one of the promises was American jobs. How many Americans does it take to make an EV battery? Well, how many does it take to change a light bulb? None! Humans are redundant in the process. The light bulb is an LED and lasts nearly forever. The factory is automated and only needs a couple humans as window dressing.

This factory could be located anywhere in the world and operate on the same budget. But

Re:

[ac22]

Tesla's "Gigafactory" in Nevada has 7,000 employees. They make batteries for EVs. If "humans are redundant in the process", why did Tesla hire all those people?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

Re:

[necro81]

Normally I'm skeptical that government subsidies really do much to grow business, but this one seems to really be working.

I don't disagree. However, as a US taxpayer, I am somewhat chagrinned that so many of these subsidies are going to states [nytimes.com] that voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, and actively obstruct any effort to combat climate change.

To whit: "In Kentucky, which is represented in the Senate by Mitch McConnell, the minority leader who led opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act, battery

Re:

[tomhath]

Given that Obama and Biden have basically shut down the coal industry in Kentucky that isn't a surprise: 18,000 jobs in 2010 reduced to 4,000 jobs in 2020.

Re:

[timeOday]

Obama and Biden have done what they could to help accelerate the demise of coal, but it's in decline practically everywhere. (Even in China where coal is still increasing on an absolute basis, its share of total energy production is decreasing [globalxetfs.com], although don't get me wrong, China is a problem to the rest of the world and is soon to account for most coal usage worldwide).

Re:

[timeOday]

Personally I don't find it 'hypocritical' for states (or individuals) to vote against programs but participate them if they do go forward. Like any other law, your say in determining what it will be is small, but you still have to live under it. Put another way if the majority is forcing you to help pay for it, then you are entitled to your share.

Re:

[PeeAitchPee]

If blue states wanted these factories, then they shouldn't have driven their labor costs up to the point where they became non-competitive with the red states. Instead, they were snooty and dismissive and openly stated they did not want these types of jobs. Elections have consequences.

Re:

[SuiteSisterMary]

Do you have some sort of mistaken notion that 'free enterprise' and 'for the good of the consumer' are synonyms?

De-industrialization of Europe

[willkane]

USA sanctions prohibit Germany to buy Russian's gas.
BMW move factory to USA.

Once again... who benefits from the war in Ukraine?

Re:

[samwichse]

What factory is being moved? EVs are a growth industry, this is an additional factory AFAICT.

Re:

[willkane]

You're right. It's not being moved. It's just being built there.

A growing industry that US is making sure to be happening in their soil solely.

I mean, with its tax-credit for EVs and the sanctions on Gas and Oil, I don't see how BMW would have any other choice but to build in US.

BMW says it's planning to build more factories in Europe and China to keep up with demand. Seriously? Right now Europe can't cope with energy demand and China is in US' eyes.

EV disaster looming

[groobly]

The key to survival is diversification. (Not "diversity," haha.) This monomaniacal emphasis on battery-powered transport is going to lead to a disaster as its problems, mainly obtaining raw materials and recharging of the battery, come home to roost.

Hydrogen ICE or even fuel cell seems a lot more sustainable, if enough effort goes into making the cost reasonable; and to keep religious fanatics happy, if enough effort goes into making hydrogen not from oil or gas.

But, instead, we have this religious fervor