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Pyronic_Chaos t1_isyna31 wrote

Hopefully this turns out better than Foxconns $10Bn Wisconsin plant. I think it's like $700m now.

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mackinoncougars t1_iszjoth wrote

FoxConn in WI continues to be a boondoggle. So glad Evers is withholding those most of those subsidies at least, Scott Walker would have continued to feed them even as they fail to deliver on even 10% of their farcical claims. Feel bad for the hundreds of home owners who were forced to leave and have their homes torn down.

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cuteman t1_it0cn97 wrote

Subsidies are almost always tit for tat so I don't know why people are so upset.

If Foxconn doesn't fulfill the contract they won't get the benefits.

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Aprilismissing t1_it013l8 wrote

Bmw already has massive infrastructure there and the area is full of other auto suppliers. It’ll be just fine. I’m just glad that it got the republicans in SC to actually invest in EV charging infrastructure.

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CUvinny t1_it0eu2t wrote

Volvo's new factory outside of Charleston is also building EVs for their Polestar spinoff

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Floyd-money t1_it03szi wrote

They’re adding new stations along the nc border and nuclear makes up most of their energy makeup too. Kinda wild to think about honestly

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cuteman t1_it0cpha wrote

What other investment is there?

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xampl9 t1_it0h6oq wrote

Whenever a major automaker opens a factory in a new area, their suppliers will also open factories there for things like the seats, wiring, auto glass, brackets, etc. This way they are close enough for their trucks to meet the automakers demands for just-in-time delivery.

If you haven't been to the factory in Greer, they have a museum there that is worth visiting. Not as big as the one in Munich, but still good. It looks like they might still be doing factory tours, too.

https://www.bmwgroup-werke.com/spartanburg/en/plant-tours-zentrum-museum.html

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cuteman t1_it0hz4v wrote

I meant what did Republicans do to invest in EV?

Everything you've listed so far is private investment.

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Hungryneck29 t1_it35wp3 wrote

The land the BMW plant is located on was purchased and donated to BMW by the SC Ports Authority. There is also Port infrastructure in the Spartanburg area. The SCPA is a state agency therefore not private. Without the BMW plant, no battery plant.

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xampl9 t1_itbregz wrote

> I meant what did Republicans do to invest in EV?

Sued Volkswagen for lying about their diesel emissions and made them use the settlement money to create Electrify America charging stations?

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juggarjew t1_it38co5 wrote

There is also a track and driving experience/driving school that is really cool. You can basically spend an entire day there, for auto enthusiast its like Disney World lol .

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juggarjew t1_it37tbh wrote

BMW has had plant Spartanburg here since 1992, there is an inland port in Greer that delivers supplies via rail from Port Charleston, its actually setup really well and BMW is the reason we even have an inland port in Greer. They also export cars from that inland port to the sea port for exportation to the entire world. BMW basically put the SC Upstate on the map as a major manufacturing/transit hub in the South East.

This 1.7 Billion investment is to add on to the existing campus in plant Spartanburg and build a 700 million EV battery plant in Woodruff SC which is about 15 miles south of the main plant.

Overall, it will turn out just fine, BMW has been here for 30 years now. As a local resident im thrilled to see this investment in the area, not many areas in the country are so fortunate to have such a strong local economy.

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Furlion t1_isz2imj wrote

The plant already has a battery assembly hall, this will enable them to manufacture the batteries as well. They are also in the process of building a sheet metal fabrication plant as well. I think they spent close to a billion on it as well. I worked there for the past 8 years. Shit job with even shittier management.

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SciencyNerdGirl t1_iszrfws wrote

You like to say 'as well' a lot, as well.

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Furlion t1_iszrjik wrote

Lol I am not great at putting my thoughts into writing.

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themarajade1 t1_iszwhf2 wrote

I’ve not worked there but most of my coworkers have at some point in their career. I live ten mins from the factory.

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C-hound t1_it0mbo1 wrote

The people that actually work for beamer have a good gig. The people who work there as "contractors" or whatever not so much. I live in Fountain Inn where there are several plants that supply bmw and they seem pretty hit or miss as far as places to work.

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Furlion t1_it0rqcx wrote

It is better than other jobs you can get with no degree but still not a great job. They work their employees hard as shit and pretend that their entire lives should revolve around the job.

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C-hound t1_it13wo4 wrote

I agree 100%. It says a lot about the expectations and value of labor in n SC.

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timbulance t1_it0swmk wrote

Don’t forget about the $100 million spent on the new LCX warehouse ^

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Furlion t1_it0tcuh wrote

Oh yeah I forgot about that. Built a whole damn bridge and everything!

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grundlefuck t1_iszn5uq wrote

Meanwhile SC will continue to rail against EV, which is the most ironic shit yet.

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h4p3r50n1c t1_it09s3f wrote

Gotta keep the morons happy with their trigger issues.

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juggarjew t1_it38qso wrote

That is fine, so long as the leadership do the right things, like this. Gov McMaster and Lindsey Graham at least know a good thing when they see it, regardless of how their idiot voters feel. Im glad they working with BMW to address their needs, we need as much of this investment as we can get!

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gazorpaglop t1_isz5hhj wrote

My favorite bimmer was built in SC, glad to see them growing

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seicar t1_isyr0qa wrote

Hopefully it will be cleaner than the Excide plant that used to be just down the road in Greer.

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C-hound t1_it0mqud wrote

The BMW plants in SC are pretty up to date with pollution and energy policies even if they tend to make a show of it.

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goalpost_mover t1_it13zkb wrote

Yeah well they better have a good battery recycling plan in place.

No need for more toxic waste dumps and the water runoff that comes from it..

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[deleted] t1_isyq4le wrote

[deleted]

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nopedoesntwork t1_isywdm8 wrote

BMW is mostly owned by China and various other global investors.

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Mongomann4711 t1_isz16vt wrote

No it is mostly owned by Quandt/Klatten family https://www.bmwgroup.com/de/investor-relations/aktie.html Other than that engineers of German OEMs have a certain reputation. Source: I am working at a Tier 1 supplier.

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nopedoesntwork t1_isz2uhq wrote

According to Wikipedia, 53,2 % owned by others than quandt/klatten/german. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW#Aktie_und_Aktion%C3%A4rsstruktur

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Mongomann4711 t1_isz3nal wrote

Yes, but they are the biggest shareholders and china is only 1.5%.

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nopedoesntwork t1_isz57km wrote

46.8% is minority, not biggest. I'm not a trader, but got told that Chinese investors own most of the "other" shares.

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SquirrelDynamics t1_it0rcs5 wrote

That'll be great... In 5 years. Too late to the party.

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skellener t1_isyr8bx wrote

I hope they will build batteries for the Mini Cooper there.

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lukanz t1_isz65wr wrote

Why not in germany ?

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swiftessence t1_iszeq3q wrote

Build back better has stipulations for products to be made in the United States for tax breaks. South Carolina has poor labor laws, unionization rates, and wages compared to most other areas in the United States. They are also on the Atlantic near ports with easier access to shipments to and from Europe.

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C-hound t1_it0o137 wrote

I'm from SC and I was shocked how much more I made in other parts of the country. The tradeoff is, in general the cost of living is much lower, so people don't think they're being lowballed even though they dodge potholes on the road after dropping their kids off at shitty schools. I have moved back and though I love my home I also loathe it in many ways. I'm angry at my state because I love it.

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Gsteel11 t1_it2db5y wrote

The red state delimia: low wages and low cost of living in an area that won't ever fully develop, and this will always have mostly subpar jobs and low standards of living.

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MissingNumeral t1_iszvcfw wrote

To add to this there’s an inland port only a few miles from there. The trains through here piss me right the fuck off

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juggarjew t1_it3a86b wrote

Leave it to a local to be pissed off about investment and a growing economy that benefits us all.

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FriendlyDespot t1_iszawaw wrote

Presumably because the United States is BMW's second-biggest market, with 40% more sales than in Germany, and so they won't want to get caught up in another trade conflict. BMW is also the largest vehicle exporter by value in the United States, and paying tariffs to import assembled batteries from elsewhere, and then paying tariffs again when exporting the vehicle doesn't make a lot of sense for them.

And, of course, South Carolina workers are more acquiescent, and the state government much less interested in labour rights than other jurisdictions. BMW also gets obscene tax benefits from the state, because South Carolinians love nothing more than giving corporate handouts.

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guy_incognito784 t1_iszecvg wrote

Well that and I'm guessing BMW wants buyers to qualify for the federal EV tax credit since cars must use batteries produced in the US in order to qualify for the federal tax credit.

Tons of other auto manufacturers are doing the exact same thing, the change in the tax code is working as intended.

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juggarjew t1_it39xb9 wrote

Building the batteries here will also allow them to qualify for the full tax credit, there are multiple reasons at play here.

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cuteman t1_it0ctn3 wrote

Batteries are heavy and not ideal for long transport

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jnobs t1_it0h6fd wrote

It’s almost like the policy of the current administration is working as intended.

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IntrusiveBot t1_it0lvx8 wrote

Red states are the new China/Mexico

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mrmoe198 t1_it0ml3m wrote

Wonderful. I can’t wait to see how much it will cost me to buy their headlights, brake lights, and fog light subscription package per month

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palebluedotcitizen t1_it3ejii wrote

BMW will be bankrupt long before that. It's EV sales won't ramp up fast enough to compensate for its ICE sales dying. It's already in a lot of trouble with sales.

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sids99 t1_iszidyj wrote

Where will the lithium ion mines be? Probably a third world country with lax environmental laws.

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LlamaCamper t1_it076yw wrote

"lithium ion mines"

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sids99 t1_it0ah5j wrote

"pools", whatever tf you want to call them.

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LlamaCamper t1_it0dte5 wrote

You don't mine ions.

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sids99 t1_it0g9vh wrote

Yeah, you extract it using a lot of water. So what? It still isn't great for the environment. Replacing ICEs for EV isn't going to solve our issues. Personal transport is very destructive to our society.

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LlamaCamper t1_it0ko50 wrote

You don't mine ions. Ions. Can't mine them. Lithium you can mine. Ions no.

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Darsh9 t1_it04n6c wrote

Southwestern U.S. once the infrastructure is in place. In the early stages I suspect producers will be importing.

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kingkeelay t1_it4afh7 wrote

North Carolina, That’s why many manufactures are coming or expanding here. The lithium is abundant.

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sids99 t1_it4bixa wrote

Hopefully that benefits the state and doesn't hurt the environment or people's health. South Carolina learned their lesson.

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_-_Naga-_- t1_isz4hfc wrote

EV batteries are a very limited resource, what makes you think its the practical future?

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riley212 t1_isyvjk8 wrote

Fuck bmw and their ugly ass piece of shit cars. If I want a nice car ill buy audi, if I want a good car ill buy toyota.

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the908bus t1_isz9p93 wrote

It’s almost like different people have different tastes

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XpaxX t1_iszeki2 wrote

„I don’t like a specific design so I must hate it on the internet“ typical 12-years old behavior

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