BMW Group has commissioned the first section of its new battery test center in Wackersdorf, Germany. According to the company, individual battery cells as well as entire high-voltage batteries and other electric drive components will be checked on an area of more than 8,000 square meters by the end of 2025. The tests will take place at a very early stage of development, long before the vehicles go into production.
Launch with several hundred cells in parallel
On battery test benches, the cellsʼ electrical performance is determined during charging and discharging under various conditions. This allows the company to test relevant use cases before a vehicle hits the road. With the first partial opening of the test center, several hundred battery cells can be tested in parallel. At the end of the ramp-up phase, several thousand cells will be tested at a time.
Testing of entire battery packs by 2025
According to BMW, the company has invested around 100 million euros in the project with the majority being spent on test bench technology and modernization of the existing infrastructure. In the final expansion phase from 2025, the test center will also be used to validate the BMW Groupʼs battery-electric vehicles prior to series production and to ensure quality standards. This will include vibration and shock tests as well as endurance tests with simulated driving profiles and corresponding charging cycles.
