The BMW Group has started production of the latest electric drive unit for its Neue Klasse vehicles at its facility in Austria.
The electric engine is the company’s sixth generation of BMW eDrive (Gen6) – its first fully-electric drive train to be produced at the Steyr location.
The plant has developed and manufactured internal combustion engines for the BMW and MINI brands for more than 40 years and therfore the extensive experience and expertise in drive trains make the facility the ideal location to produce the next-gen electric engines.
Around 1,000 employees will work in the new electric engine assembly and depending on global demand, half of the Steyr location’s total workforce could be employed in e-mobility by 2030.
Between 2022 and 2030, the BMW Group is investing more than €1 billion (£0.87bn) in expanding development and production expertise for e-drives at the Steyr location.
Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production said: “Today, we are laying the foundations for the future of the BMW Group.
“As the first production site for the Gen6 electric engine, Plant Steyr is central to the Neue Klasse and the continued development of our global production network.”
The Gen6 electric motor system features an 800-volt architecture and uses silicon carbide semiconductor technology to improve efficiency.
BMW says the new system reduces energy loss by 40%, costs by 20% and weight by 10% compared to previous generation systems.
“All this makes a significant contribution to the approximately 20% increase in overall vehicle efficiency,” Martin Kaufmann, SVP of global Powertrain Development at BMW adds.
The first Neue Klasse model, the BMW iX3 50 xDrive, is expected to achieve a range of up to 800 kilometres using the new electric drive system combined with a high-voltage battery.
BMW plugs into the future with Gen6 electric engine production appeared first on Energy Live News.