BMW Group’s new Plant Woodruff in South Carolina will start series production of Gen6 high-voltage batteries for the fully electric BMW iX5 in December 2026. The AI- and robot-supported plant produces 800-volt, cell-to-pack batteries with up to 144 kWh capacity, using more secondary battery materials than previous generations.
BMW Group’s new plant in Woodruff, South Carolina, will begin series production of high-voltage batteries for the fully electric BMW iX5 in December.
The company gave media a first look at the facility as part of the iX5’s world premiere. The plant uses artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins and virtual reality (VR) applications across its manufacturing processes.
According to Raymond Wittman, member of the board of management of BMW AG responsible for production, “Plant Woodruff plays a key role in the ramp-up of electromobility in the US.” He adds: “With our Gen6 high-voltage battery, we’re not only taking a major technological leap – we are also setting new standards in production. In Woodruff, we are combining cutting-edge processes, artificial intelligence and the expertise of our employees to create a production facility designed for the highest quality.”
The plant’s sixth-generation (Gen6) high-voltage battery uses cylindrical round cells integrated directly into the battery pack, based on a “cell-to-pack” design. Production steps are monitored inline and documented in real time, with in-house developed AI assistants and agents analyzing the data. More than 300 employees and 250 robots work at the site.
Assembly begins with incoming cell inspection, including voltage checks, followed by cell clustering, where cells are connected to coolers for insulation and cooling. The cell clusters and contact system are then laser-cleaned and welded, with inline inspection monitoring each weld seam. A foaming process protects the components as a single mechanical unit before the housing is closed, sealed and riveted. The Energy Master control unit is installed in the final assembly step, and each battery undergoes a 100 percent end-of-line inspection. Finished batteries travel 15 miles to BMW’s Plant Spartanburg.
The Gen6 cells use a higher proportion of secondary materials in their cobalt, lithium and nickel content, and renewable energy is used in anode, cathode and cell manufacturing. BMW says CO2e emissions per watt-hour are around 28 percent lower than the Gen5 cell used in the BMW iX. Plant Woodruff does not use fossil fuels during normal operations, and its industrial trucks run on hydrogen.
The BMW iX5 60 xDrive’s 800-volt battery has an available energy content of 144 kWh in the US and 141 kWh in the EU (net), which BMW describes as the largest of any fully electric BMW model to date. Propulsion comes from e-drives on both axles via BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system.
Woodruff is one of five new high-voltage battery plants BMW is building near its vehicle plants under a “local for local” strategy, alongside sites in Irlbach-Straßkirchen, Germany; Shenyang, China; and San Luis Potosí, Mexico. A battery plant in Debrecen, Hungary, has been in series production since October 2025.
Robert Engelhorn, president and chief executive of BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC, says: “With Plant Woodruff, we are further expanding our footprint in South Carolina and strengthening the close integration of battery and vehicle production. This creates the ideal foundation for the next generation of fully electric BMW X models assembled at Plant Spartanburg.”
Construction began in September 2023, following a groundbreaking in June 2023. Equipment installation started in September 2024 while construction was still under way, and test and pre-series batteries have been produced since preparations began in summer 2025.
Rich Everly, vice president of production at BMW Group Plant Woodruff, says: “Plant Woodruff demonstrates how quickly we can scale a new battery concept to industrial production. The key factor is the synergy between a skilled and dedicated team and the continuous exchange of experience within the production network.”
