BMW Group to Power Electric Cars Plant with Hydroelectricity

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.

The automaker said in a statement that contracts have been signed. The contract is with Stadtwerke München and RWE Supply & Trading for energy to be supplied by hydroelectricity from rivers Isar and Lech.

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Board Member for Production Milan Nedeljković: “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. They are based close to our plants,” Nedeljković explains.

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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.

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 Nedeljković explains: “We want to cut CO2 emissions by another 80 percent by 2030. This would be cut 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. This is in terms of sustainability. Continuous improvement remains central to the strategy to cut CO2 emissions and increase resource efficiency.

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