Climate Action 2016-2017

The light and charge system combines
cutting-edge lighting and electric drive
technologies and seamlessly integrates
a smoothly functioning charging station
network into the urban landscape.
TECHNOLOGY, TRANSPORT & URBANISATION
DRIVING THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY
Leading provider of premium
products and services for
individual mobility, the BMW
Group, outlines how the
transition to electric is changing
the vehicle landscape.
The future of the automobile industry is still
taking shape, but some key elements of its
transformation are already becoming clear.
Electric vehicles are taking to the roads in greater
numbers than ever before, with 2015 seeing the
global electric vehicle stock surpass 1 million.
Aside from battery and plug-in hybrid vehicles
leading the way towards greater engine efficiency,
the future of the industry is also being shaped by
trends including smart and secure connectivity
and sharing-friendly mobility services. The BMW
Group has made these priorities and is determined
to continue leading the way in sustainable,
premium, and innovative personal mobility.
Beyond these product-oriented measures
for climate-friendly mobility, the BMW Group is
making changes in production, transforming not
just how cars perform, but how they are made.
As the transition to electric is changing the
vehicle landscape, attention will shift more and
more to the production footprint. As there are
more electric vehicles on the roads drawing
power from renewable sources, emissions over
the life cycle of a car will be measured by the
environmental impact of factories. Sustainable
production will take centre stage.
SUSTAINABILITY IS PREMIUM
A focus on sustainable production starts
with reducing energy use. Since 2006, the
BMW Group has used 36 per cent less energy
per vehicle manufactured. The company’s
factories around the world have reduced total
energy use and many have begun a shift to
renewable sources.
In Germany, the Leipzig BMW i3 and i8
production is 100 per cent CO 2
-free. Meanwhile,
in the United States, the Moses Lake carbon
fibre plant in the state of Washington uses 100
per cent hydropower. The Spartanburg, South
Carolina, factory sources up to 50 per cent of
its energy from methane gas brought in from a
nearby landfill. This reduces CO 2
emissions for
production by 92,000 tons of CO 2
and cuts costs
by US$6.7 million a year.
At the MINI plant in Oxford, solar panels covering
the equivalent of five football fields provide enough
energy to power 850 homes. And at South Africa’s
Rosslyn factory, up to 30 per cent of the energy is
provided through biomass methane sourced from
cattle at a neighboring farm.
Innovative solutions for the BMW Group’s
production have taken many different forms,
but the goal is the same: reaching 100 per cent
renewably sourced energy.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR CLIMATE GOALS
There is no one fix for climate change, no
one law that can reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, no single alternative power
project that can set the world on a path to
sustainability. Instead, COP22 is the work of
partners the world over to implement the
change piece by piece, goal by goal.
Climate impact from the automobile industry
comes from production and vehicle use, and
the BMW Group is setting the path to reducing
environmental strain from beginning to end of a
vehicle’s life cycle.
www.bmw-i.com
www.bmwgroup.com
www.climateactionprogramme.org 87