Production of BMW's Gen 6 high-voltage batteries commenced at the Shenyang facility on October 15, with the first units destined to equip the Neue Klasse iX3 and i3 variants tailored for Chinese buyers. The extended-wheelbase iX3 is scheduled to reach customers starting in November.
Shenyang Becomes Third Gen 6 Battery Production Site
The Liaoning province battery manufacturing venture required an investment of 10 billion yuan, equivalent to roughly $1.5 billion, with construction commencing in May 2023. Joining existing facilities in Debrecen, Hungary, and Ilbach-Straßkirchen, Germany, this location represents the third pillar of BMW's worldwide Gen 6 battery production infrastructure.
The manufacturing process leverages large cylindrical cells paired with an 800-volt architecture and sixth-generation electric drive technology. BMW notes that with battery production now underway in China, all three essential elements of this propulsion system are being manufactured domestically. Late September saw the commencement of trial operations for the Energy Master in Shenyang, a component functioning as the primary control unit for Gen 6 batteries. The automaker developed both the underlying hardware architecture and control software internally.
Neue Klasse in China: Batteries for the iX3 and i3
The extended-wheelbase iX3, engineered specifically for the Chinese market, opened for pre-orders on August 21, with customer deliveries commencing in November. The i3 50L sedan represents another long-wheelbase variant created exclusively for Chinese buyers.
Coinciding with the production launch, BMW disclosed that an i3 50L test vehicle completed a 1,213-kilometer journey on a single charge. The demonstration vehicle was equipped with a 113.4-kWh battery and arrived at its destination with 1% of its charge remaining.
Source: Battery-News
