BMW INVESTING $1.7B IN S CAROLINA AS AUTOMAKER SHIFTS TO EVS

BMW will invest $1 billion in its sprawling factory near Spartanburg, South Carolina, to start producing electric vehicles and an additional $700 million to build a electric battery plant nearby.

The German automaker’s announcement reflects its commitment to transitioning to electric-vehicle production in North America, in line with similarly ambitious plans by other major automakers.

The investment in the 7-million-square-foot vehicle factory in Greer, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, would add an unspecified number of jobs to the more than 11,000 workers there.

The battery plant, to be built in nearby Woodruff, will employ 300, the company said, with hiring to begin within a few years.

In addition, BMW said it has signed a deal with Envision AESC of Japan to supply battery cells for a new class of at least six electric SUVs that will be built at the plant in Greer by 2030.

Envision will build its new factory at an unspecified site in South Carolina. The companies wouldn’t say how many people will be hired. But the number of jobs could be significant: Battery cell plants being built by other companies will employ between 1,100 and 2,200 workers.

Cells from the Envision factory will be shipped to the 1-million-square-foot plant in Woodruff, where they will be assembled into battery packs for the electric SUVs built at the larger plant. Assembling cells into packs takes far less labor than manufacturing the cells.