BMW looks to boost US Gen6 assembly to avoid trade war
BMW is increasing its production of its battery systems in the US for its next generation Gen6 800V electric vehicle technology to avoid coming tariffs on vehicles and semiconductors.
The sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology will be used in every fully electric Neue Klasse vehicle will enjoy the benefits, with the first model going into series production later this year at Plant Debrecen in Hungary.
The battery pack architecture is new for BMW with a structural pack-to-open-body that doesn’t use an enclosure, with new cylindrical cells integrated directly into the 800V battery. This changes the production process.
The high-voltage batteries for the Neue Klasse are assembled in five new production facilities that the BMW Group has located close to its vehicle plants as part of a “local for local” approach.
For example, assembly locations for Gen6 high-voltage batteries are taking shape in Irlbach-Straßkirchen in Lower Bavaria, Debrecen in Hungary, Woodruff, near Spartanburg in the US as well as Shenyang in China, and San Luis Potosí in Mexico. This approach safeguards production even in the event of unforeseen political and economic events, says the company specifically.
The “local for local” principle continues in the supplier network for battery cells: in order to cover the demand for Gen6, the BMW Group has reached contractual agreements for five battery cell factories – spread across Europe, China and the USA – with various partners. The Gen6 cylindrical battery cell has a 20% greater energy density than its prismatic Gen5 predecessor. It is also capable of bidirectional charging.
Before series production of the high-voltage batteries gets underway worldwide, the production processes will be developed and pre-series batteries subjected to thorough testing. This will happen at the BMW Group pilot plants for high-voltage batteries in Parsdorf, Hallbergmoos and Munich. The new series production plants around the world will then be ready. The product and process expertise is centred in Bavaria.
“For the BMW Group, electric mobility is the future and a key area of growth. We are leading the way with this drivetrain technology. At the same time, we are deliberately taking a technology-open approach, recognizing that mobility needs vary between different regions of the world,” said Dr Joachim Post, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Purchasing and Supplier Network.
All of the elements of the Gen6 800V platform come together in the BMW Energy Master. This central control unit is positioned on the high-voltage battery and provides the interface for high- and low-voltage power supply and for data from the high-voltage battery. It also controls the power supply for the electric motor and vehicle electrical system and ensures the safe and intelligent operation of the high-voltage battery.
The BMW Group has filed a whole series of new patent applications for the vehicle electrical system, including its electronic fuses. Both the hardware and software of the Energy Master were developed fully in-house at the BMW Group so that updates for vehicles can be implemented independently and in real time via Remote Software Upgrades.
Production of the Energy Master will take place at Plant Landshut, which will then supply all the high-voltage battery assembly plants around the world where the control unit will be installed on the high-voltage battery.
The plant is currently producing the control unit in pre-series on a line with series production on the first production line in August 2025, with a further expansion in mid-2026 which will see up ot 400 robots on the line. This is the first time the development and production of this central control unit has taken place in-house at the BMW Group and uses AI-based camera systems for optical inspection as we as 100-per-cent end-of-line system checks in a clean-room environment.
The modular manufacturing system used to produce the Energy Master was also designed fully in-house by the BMW Group. It is supplied with subcomponents by a supply chain set up by the BMW Group. This extends to supply-critical components such as semiconductors, another key area for tariffs.
The benefits of this set-up can be seen in terms of both costs and supply security says BMW. The scalable production system enables the company to respond quickly and flexibly to market requirements.
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