BMW starts series production of the BMW i3 electric car

The BMW Group entered a new era in  automotive construction today with the start of series production of  the BMW i3. The world’s first premium electric vehicle to be  purpose-designed for this form of drive system is the result of an  all-encompassing development approach targeted at reducing fuel  consumption and emissions in urban areas. Exceptionally high standards  of sustainability and resource efficiency have also been achieved in  the selection of materials and production processes employed. This is  the first time that carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) has been  used in automotive volume production. The body structure of the BMW i3  consists entirely of this extremely lightweight and durable material,  allowing the extra weight of the batteries for the electric drive  system to be cancelled out. By industrialising the manufacturing  process for CFRP, the BMW Group has become the first company worldwide  to make its use in vehicle production economically viable.

Photo by BMW Group

At the Leipzig plant alone, some €400 million has been invested in  new structures and machinery for the production of BMW i models and  800 new jobs have been created. The production network for BMW i also  sees key components for the BMW i3 manufactured at BMW Group plants  and joint venture facilities at Moses Lake in the USA and Wackersdorf,  Landshut and Dingolfing in Germany. The company has invested a total  of around €600 million in the BMW i production network and generated  over 1,500 jobs.

Series production of the BMW i3 got under way today in the presence  of the Minister President of the state of Saxony, Stanislaw Tillich,  Mayor of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung, and BMW AG Board Member for  Production, Harald Krüger. The first BMW i3 off the line has been  recruited as the lead car for the International Berlin Marathon on 29  September and was handed over to German marathon runner Jan Fitschen.  Deliveries of the BMW i3 to customers in Germany and other European  countries will begin in November, with the car’s launch in the USA,  China and other markets to follow in early 2014.

“Today represents a milestone in our company’s development,” said BMW  production chief Krüger. “We are making history with the BMW i3. Not  only is our first electric car about to hit the road, we are also  completely redefining sustainability with regard to personal mobility  thanks to groundbreaking technologies and processes.” Indeed, the  entire value chain is firmly committed to sustainability and  efficiency: “We require 50% less energy and 70% less water, and source  the electric energy for production of the BMW i models CO2-free from  the wind turbines at the plant,” added Krüger. This huge reduction in  energy and water consumption can be attributed primarily to the  elimination of the traditional painting process for steel and  aluminium bodies.

Stanislaw Tillich was delighted that this new chapter in automotive  history would be written in the federal state he heads: “I’m proud  that, in BMW, we have such an innovative carmaker here in Saxony and  that BMW is building the i3 at its plant here in Leipzig. This proves  that Saxony is an attractive location in terms of its research and  educational institutions, its infrastructure and, most importantly,  its highly qualified and motivated people.”

Leipzig’s mayor Burkhard Jung concurred: “The BMW plant has been a  boon for our city from the beginning and continues to act as a growth  engine for jobs. With BMW also basing production of its electric  vehicles here, the prospects for the local area are extremely healthy.”

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