Powered by water: BMW Group manufactures electric cars with regional green electricity

BMW iX* and BMW i4 production powered by hydroelectricity from Rivers
Isar and Lech +++ Electricity for BMW Group production is 100% green
+++ Direct supply contracts boost eco-credentials +++

Munich /
Dingolfing. The BMW Group will power production of
the new electric BMW iX* and BMW i4 at Plants Dingolfing and Munich
entirely with regional green hydroelectricity. Contracts have been
signed with Stadtwerke München and RWE Supply & Trading for energy
to be supplied by hydroelectricity from rivers Isar and Lech. Board
Member for Production Milan Nedeljkovi?: “We take a holistic view of
sustainability. So rather than just minimising emissions from driving,
we are working to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of our
production processes.”

The BMW Group already powers its production facilities worldwide
entirely with green electricity today. “What’s new is the fact that in
the future, we will source our renewable electricity directly from
regional providers based close to our plants,” Nedeljkovi? explains.
The green electricity needed for BMW iX* production will come from the
Isar hydroelectric power stations Uppenborn between Moosburg and
Landshut while production of the BMW i4 will be powered by the Lech
hydroelectric power stations in Gersthofen and Rain. The energy they
supply is also used to manufacture a wide range of components for the
two electric models, at BMW Group Plants Landshut, Dingolfing and Berlin.

“Our direct supply contracts add another major boost to the
eco-credentials of the green electricity we use in production,”
Nedeljkovi? emphasises. But as well as implementing more and more such
contracts, the BMW Group is increasing the share of the renewable or
carbon-neutral electricity it generates itself. Since 2013, for
instance, the four wind turbines at Plant Leipzig have provided all
the electricity needed to manufacture the BMW i3*. Another of several
examples from the BMW Group production network is the newest plant, in
San Luis Potosí, Mexico, where production is largely powered using
energy from large solar arrays.

The energy goals the BMW Group has set itself are designed for the
longer term. Between 2006 and 2019, emissions from production fell by
more than 70 percent per car. Going forward Nedeljkovi? explains: “We
want to cut CO₂ emissions by another 80 percent by 2030, to
less than 10 percent of what they were in 2006.”

The BMW Group has a strong foundation to build on, having raised the
bar repeatedly over the last few decades in terms of sustainability.
Continuous improvement remains central to the strategy to cut
CO₂ emissions and increase resource efficiency.

As well as sourcing 100 percent green energy, since 2020 the BMW
Group has been systematically investing in improving energy efficiency
– partly by capitalising on the opportunities of digitalisation. Data
analytics has already helped make production more efficient, for
instance with predictive machine maintenance and by minimising the
number of parts rejected from the bodyshop. As well as drastically
cutting actual CO₂ emissions, the BMW Group will offset any
remaining emissions (Scope 1 + 2) in full via relevant certificates.