BMW iX1 begins production in Regensburg. Also, all German factories can now produce electric cars. In the year By 2024, at least one electric vehicle from the Bavarian factory is expected to enter the market.
The announcement was made by Milan Nedelkovic, Member of the Management Board of BMW AG. The high-voltage battery in the BMW iX1 also comes from Regensburg. The start of production of the new BMW iX1 means that the BMW Group Plant Regensburg is now producing all drive technologies on a single line, as is the flexible production process for combustion-engine, plug-in hybrid and fully electric models. As part of a recent pilot project, the Regensburg factory was digitally mapped. The resulting digital twin enables the most efficient planning of future plant structures and production facilities.
The factory’s paint shop, for example, is based on artificial intelligence: paint patches are scanned to ensure flawless quality and finished using a fully automated program customized for each vehicle. Artificial intelligence is also used in vehicle assembly at Plant Regensburg – in particular, AI-powered image recognition methods help workers perform quality inspections. The AIQX (Artificial Intelligence Quality Continuity) computer system used for this can learn to distinguish human objects from sample images, making it a useful complement to conventional camera-based quality checks.
Predictive maintenance ensures that technical faults are detected early, for example before system delays occur in delivery systems. Loads and machinery are controlled by automated evaluation of process data. In the year By the end of 2022, the BMW Group will invest a total of more than 1.6 billion euros in the production of electric components at the German locations in Dingolf, Leipzig and Regensburg. More than 3,300 employees currently work at BMW Group Electric Components at those sites.
In addition to being the first electric version of the small sports utility vehicle, the IX1 is manufactured at the Regensburg plant, which means that all BMW drive technologies are developed on a single line as part of the factory’s flexible production process. BMW has prepared the next chapter of EVs. According to Milan Nedelkovic, BMW AG’s board member responsible for production, at least three of the BMWs coming out of the Bavarian plant will be electric by 2024.
The factory’s paint shop is one of the AI-assisted, where paint patches are scanned and finished using a fully automated program to ensure flawless quality.
