BMW Group: harnessing green power from the pastures

By Daniel Brightmore
Share
When it comes to building cars, sustainability is a major consideration for the BMW Group. Electric vehicles, in particular, should meet this standard t...

When it comes to building cars, sustainability is a major consideration for the BMW Group. Electric vehicles, in particular, should meet this standard throughout planning and production, as well as during their use phase.

Every BMW electric vehicle must deliver a better carbon footprint throughout its lifecycle than a comparable vehicle with a conventional drive train – from procurement of raw materials, to supply chain and production, to the use phase and recycling. Through a partnership with the Straus Organic Dairy Farm, the BMW Group is now taking sustainability to the next level: using green power to drive its vehicles and, at the same time, reduce agricultural greenhouse gases.

The Straus Organic Dairy Farm, a family firm founded in Marshall, California in 1994, is committed to producing high-quality, minimally-processed organic milk products. As the first 100% certified organic dairy in the US, its biogas plant traps methane from cow dung and converts it into electricity with an excellent greenhouse gas balance – because methane emissions are 20 times more harmful to the climate than CO2. The energy generated is fed into the public power grid, replacing the need for fossil fuels.

BMW partners with Great Wall Motors to build Mini E vehicles

Manufacturing with 2020 vision: Environment and Sustainability

BMW orders battery cells worth €10bn to support e-mobility

Read the latest issue of Manufacturing Global here

Dairy Farm, electric BMW and MINIs can be charged using environmentally friendly green electricity. The collaboration will reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and, at the same time, provide drivers of electric vehicles with the cleanest fuel possible. The goal for the years ahead is to meet the energy needs of all electric BMW and MINI vehicles in the US state of California with renewable energies.

“This collaboration is the first of its kind in the auto industry,” said Bernhard Kuhnt, President and CEO, BMW North America. “It is a perfect fit for the BMW Group, which has long valued creative technologies and partnerships that can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Share

Featured Articles

Manufacturing and Mobility LIVE Welcome Nuveen as a Sponsor

Join us at Manufacturing and Mobility LIVE, an exclusive virtual event that will explore the influential forces reshaping both manufacturing and mobility

SAVE THE DATE – Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE Chicago 2025

Manufacturing Digital announces its first dedicated Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE Event in Chicago on 4 and 5 June 2025

Sandvik Coromant: How to Survive AI and Thrive

Identifying the trends and impacts of AI on manufacturing, Sandvik's whitepaper argues that AI is here to stay and shares how manufacturers can adapt

Shiseido & Accenture: AI-the Best Skincare Solution?

Digital Factory

Assembling the Future: Huawei's New Smart Factory Offerings

Smart Manufacturing

Tata & Analog Devices Drive Indian Electronics Manufacturing

Technology