BMW begins series production of i4 EV at Munich plant

BMW has started the first-series production of its all-electric BMW i4 at its factory in Munich. The automaker informed that its home plant now manufactures all drive variants on a single assembly line. BMW AG board member for production Milan Nedeljković said that the launch of the BMW i4 is a milestone for the company on the road to electric mobility. “By 2023 more than half of all vehicles from our Munich facility will have an electrified drive. The majority will be fully electric. So Munich goes fully electric," he added.

The factory that is around 100 years old, installation and conversion of systems for the production of the electric vehicle proved particularly challenging, mentioned the brand. Peter Weber, director of BMW Group Plant Munich said that despite the obstacles, the team successfully integrated the new vehicle into the existing systems without halting production. “Most of the new production processes for the BMW i4 can be carried out on the existing bodyshop systems," he added.

The Bavarian automaker explained that the main difference between the BMW i4 and conventional architectures is the electric drive and high-voltage battery while 90 per cent of the existing systems in the Munich factory can still be used for the new electric model. This plant is now the production hub of an extensive portfolio of BMW products that not only includes the BMW i4 but also the combustion-powered and hybrid BMW 3 Series Sedan and Touring, the BMW M3 and the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Coinciding with the production launch of BMW i4, BMW also declared that to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, over the next few years, local emissions from transport logistics at the factory in Munich will gradually fall to zero. The company will achieve this goal by increasing the use of rail transport and battery-electric trucks. The brand stated that currently more than 750 truck deliveries are required daily for the delivery of parts and in the future, the journeys to the inner-city stretches will be carried out by electric trucks. The share of vehicles leaving the plant by train will also rise from the current 50 per cent.