Last year, BMW Group announced plans to build a new battery testing center at Wackersdorf in Germany. The company has now completed the initial phase of the project, with the facility set to open in late 2025.
The site spans over 8,000m2 and will be responsible for rigorously testing individual battery cells, complete high-voltage batteries and other EV powertrain components for future BMW models early in development. The investment of around €100m (US$106m) has focused on complex test-bench technology and the upgrades to the building’s existing infrastructure required for operation.
Originally constructed in the 1980s for a reprocessing facility, the building has a long and storied history. In recent months, structural work for the new battery testing center has been underway, including installation of a new floor slab, with a total of 2,200 metric tons of structural steel and 10,000m3 of concrete used in the expansion.
The commissioning of the initial section means that the “battery testers” will be operating around the clock to test battery cells during the early phase of development. Essentially, the electrical performance of individual cells is determined during charging and discharging under different conditions. This enables the simulation of use cases that will be relevant for customers later, long before a vehicle under development drives on the road.
“Parallel testing of several hundred battery cells will initially be possible. Once the ramp-up is complete, testing capacity will reach several thousand battery cells,” said project manager Dr Felix Schmidt-Stein.
In the final phase from 2025 onwards, the testing center will also be used to validate the BMW Group’s BEVs prior to the launch of series production. “For example, this includes subjecting the batteries to vibration and shock tests,” said Schmidt-Stein. “We can also simulate complex driving patterns in endurance tests, including charging and discharging cycles. Tests like these are essential for type approval of electric vehicles.”
Site manager Christoph Peters said, “We are now adding a fourth pillar in Wackersdorf – in addition to supplying our overseas plants, cockpit production and door production for Rolls-Royce models. This represents a strong commitment to the future of the site.”