BMW's Melbourne headquarters ready for electric future

BMW Australia has made a raft of physical changes to its head office in order to prepare for a future dominated by electric vehicles.

The Group, which also includes Mini, has reduced its carbon footprint with the installation of a new solar array, EV charging infrastructure and myriad sustainability measures.

Two hundred solar panels with 100kW of capacity have been installed on the roof of the building in Mulgrave in Melbourne's south east to generate a combined annual output of 126,000kWh.

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The renewable energy will provide power for the headquarters, as well as also featuring a national training facility, fully-equipped workshop and parts distribution centre to support its 47-strong dealer network.

The panels will additionally provide electricity for 13 new EV chargers, which mix AC and high-speed DC charging capability.

Meanwhile, inside the building, the bistro has removed single use takeaway coffee cups and adopted water bottles with packaging which originates from plant-based materials – resulting in a 74 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared with the plastic equivalent – and is transitioning away from plastic to glass for other drinks too.

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Wolfgang Buechel, CEO of BMW Group Australia, said the measures will help the carmaker to become a carbon-neutral business locally by 2050.

“We are proud to play our part in the BMW Group’s global push to reduce C02 emissions and the commitment to net-zero by 2050 with this local investment in solar power, EV charging and waste-reduction measures at our Melbourne head office,” Buechel said.

“In addition, we are delighted that our valued dealer partners are also very much on board with our strategy and committing resources to renewable energy, while also minimising their waste and water usage and providing accessible EV charging solutions for our customers and expanding fleet of electrified vehicles.”

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The move follows the recent award presentation for YourMelbourne 2022 – a sustainability competition created in partnership between BMW and RMIT university.

YourMelbourne tasks students with creating their idea of the city in 2030 – factoring in the challenges of climate change, a growing population and the need for evolving transport solutions. As part of the project, they also had to weave in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly.