The new BMW Group plant Debrecen with the series production of the BMW iX3 - The paint shop

The paint shop at the BMW Group plant Debrecen is the central factor for a significant reduction in the CO2e footprint of the BMW iX3. In the production of the new BMW iX3, a total of around 80 kg CO₂e (Scope 1/2 emissions) are emitted, including the CO₂e emissions from the Debrecen plant as well as the production of components at other BMW Group locations such as components in Landshut. This corresponds to a reduction of approximately two-thirds compared to the production of previous BMW derivatives. When considering only the values for the Debrecen plant, the CO₂e emissions of the Debrecen plant for the production of a vehicle including the high-voltage battery are reduced by approximately 90 percent to around 34 kg CO₂e (at full capacity and compared to other BMW Group locations). Paint shops are usually operated with gas to achieve the required high temperatures of up to 180 degrees Celsius. As the first automotive plant of the BMW Group, the Debrecen plant is exclusively supplied with electricity from renewable energy sources in normal operation, without the use of fossil fuels such as oil or gas. Due to the high energy demand, the paint shop also has the largest share in significantly reducing the CO2e emissions of the Debrecen plant. In the paint shop alone, the use of electricity from renewable sources helps reduce emissions by up to 12,000 tons of CO2e annually. Around a quarter of the annual electricity demand is sourced from the 50-hectare photovoltaic system on the factory premises. Excess solar energy, which is generated, for example, on non-working days, is stored in a 1,800 m³ thermal storage with 130 MWh.