BMW expands battery test centre in Wackersdorf
When the full expansion of the test centre is completed at the end of 2025, individual battery cells, complete high-voltage batteries and other e-drive components for future BMW Group models will be put through their paces at a very early stage on an area of more than 8,000 square metres.
Hall 80 on the plant site has been converted for the test centre since last year and the building was upgraded with a new floor slab, among other things. The building was not chosen by chance: as the hall was built back in the 1980s for the planned reprocessing plant (WAA), the outer walls are 100 centimetres thick. This ensures a constant temperature of 15 degrees inside – and thus, according to BMW, “perfect test conditions.”
The battery testing technology that has now been put into operation there can test battery cells long before they are ready for series production. “Essentially, the electrical performance of individual battery cells is determined during charging and discharging under different conditions. This allows use cases that will be relevant for customers later to be simulated, long before a vehicle under development drives on the road,” BMW wrote.
“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,” explained Project Manager Dr Felix Schmidt-Stein. In the final phase from 2025 onwards, the testing centre will also be used to validate the BMW Group’s battery-electric vehicles prior to the official launch of series production and ensure the required premium quality. “For example, this includes subjecting the batteries to vibration and shock tests,” added 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.”
“Commissioning of the first phase of the new battery testing centre means that the BMW Group’s Wackersdorf location is poised to become a major facilitator in the transformation towards electromobility,” added Site Manager Christoph Peters. “The new battery testing centre gives our site a broader foundation. 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.”
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