First glimpse into production: BMW Group Plant Woodruff assembles high-voltage batteries for the new BMW iX5
BMW says Plant Woodruff begins series production of batteries for the electric BMW iX5 in December 2026, with 300+ employees and 250 robots.
In a July 2026 press release tied to the BMW iX5's world premiere, BMW Group gave a first look inside Plant Woodruff and said series production of high-voltage batteries for the fully electric iX5 is scheduled to begin in December 2026.
BMW laid out the timeline: groundbreaking in June 2023, building construction from September 2023, equipment installation from September 2024, and test and pre-series batteries coming off the line since summer 2025. The company says more than 300 employees and 250 robots work at the plant, with AI tools monitoring each production step, and that every production employee trains first in a virtual-reality copy of the factory.
According to the release, the plant uses no fossil fuels in normal operation, runs hydrogen-powered industrial trucks, and ships finished batteries to Plant Spartanburg, about 15 miles away. BMW's release has the full technical detail on the Gen6 battery.