BMW Group has officially opened its new Plant Irlbach-Straßkirchen in Bavaria, Germany, and started series production of sixth-generation (Gen6) high-voltage batteries. The new BMW Gen6 battery plant is supplying high-voltage batteries to BMW Group Plant Munich for installation in the new BMW i3. The facility is part of BMW’s Neue Klasse production strategy and is designed to support the company’s electric vehicle manufacturing network in Germany.
The BMW Gen6 battery plant has been built on a 60-hectare site with an investment of around €1 billion. Construction began in April 2024, while the first pre-series battery was produced at the facility in March 2026. BMW Group said series production started around two and a half years after construction began. Due to strong demand for Neue Klasse models, the production ramp-up is progressing faster than initially planned, with series manufacturing starting directly on a two-shift basis.
The new facility uses BMW’s in-house-developed Gen6 high-voltage battery technology. The cylindrical battery cells are integrated directly into the battery pack using a cell-to-pack design, while the battery itself forms an integral part of the vehicle’s body structure. BMW said the production process is continuously monitored and documented in real time. Artificial intelligence-based assistants and agents analyse production data, while around 500 robots operate across the plant’s 50,000-square-metre production area.
BMW is also focusing on resource-efficient and quality-controlled battery production at Plant Irlbach-Straßkirchen. The facility is designed to operate without fossil fuels during regular operations, with part of its electricity generated through an on-site solar installation and the remaining requirement covered by renewable energy. The high-voltage battery assembly process does not require water, while Gen6 battery cells used for the BMW i3 contain secondary materials for cobalt, lithium and nickel. BMW said CO₂e emissions per watt-hour are reduced by around 33% compared with the previous Gen5 cell.
The Gen6 batteries produced at the German facility are initially being supplied to BMW Group Plant Munich for the new BMW i3. The BMW i3’s high-voltage battery has a capacity of 108.7 kWh, while the BMW i3 50 xDrive First Edition offers a WLTP range of up to 906 kilometres. The model also uses 800-volt technology and supports DC charging at up to 400 kW, with BMW stating that up to 423 kilometres of range can be added in 10 minutes under specified conditions.
Plant Irlbach-Straßkirchen is part of BMW Group’s global “local for local” battery manufacturing strategy. The company is establishing five Gen6 high-voltage battery assembly locations in Irlbach-Straßkirchen in Germany, Debrecen in Hungary, Shenyang in China, San Luis Potosí in Mexico and Woodruff in the United States. With the opening of the new German facility, BMW is expanding its Gen6 battery production network and strengthening the battery manufacturing infrastructure supporting its Neue Klasse electric vehicles.
