BMW to Increase EV Battery Production in China

German automaker BMW is increasing its battery production capacity in China to meet the growing demand for its electric vehicles and parts, as the automaker prepares to build new all-electric models. The joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA), which is a partnership between BMW and Chinese automaker Brilliance China Automotive Holdings, has expanded its battery plant in Tiexi with the establishment of a new "High Voltage Battery Center". The power and energy density of high-voltage batteries can be scaled for use in other BMW electric models. The batteries that will go to the iX3 will have about a 20% improvement in energy density at the cell level, BMW said. Batteries also use about two-thirds less cobalt than battery cells the manufacturer has used in the past.