BMW building world’s first carbon-free car plant in Hungary

German carmaker BMW is building the world’s first green automobile factory in Debrecen, Hungary, where cars will be produced entirely without the use of fossil fuels. The plant is expected to start manufacturing BMW’s electric automobiles from 2025.

To ensure the factory uses renewable energy only, BMW plans to generate a significant portion of it on-site, including with solar panels, as well as to use energy storage, according to a Reuters report.

The new factory will use solar panels and energy storage

The announcement comes amid the EU’s tensions with Russia over the Ukraine war and its efforts to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

Milan Nedeljković, board member for production at BMW, says the Debrecen factory project makes the automaker “a clear pioneer” in sustainable car production. “Debrecen is definitely one of our flagship projects when it comes to sustainability. But we have also drastically reduced our emissions overall in recent years and have set ourselves ambitious goals for the future,” he says.

BMW plans to cut carbon emissions 80% by 2030

BMW aims to cut CO2 emissions per vehicle produced by 80% from 2019 levels by 2030, with a 40% reduction expected as early as 2025, said Nedeljković, adding that this requires the company to continue to work on improving its energy efficiency and increasing the use of green energy.

The Debrecen plant will operate under BMW iFACTORY concept

The Debrecen plant will operate under BMW’s new manufacturing concept, called iFACTORY, which is being implemented at all BMW Group plants worldwide. It involves efficiency, sustainability, and digitalization, according to Nedeljković.

BMW wants its future to be “lean, green, and digital,” which means being efficient and flexible, systematically using green energy, and utilizing artificial intelligence in production, he explains.