(Yicai Global) Oct. 25 -- BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., a joint venture of the German automobile behemoth Bayerische Motoren Werke AG [XETRA:BMW] (BMW), has put its electric vehicle battery center into operation in Shenyang, in Northeast China's Liaoning province. 

It is BMW's first integrated EV battery center outside Europe.

BMW Brilliance Automotive has partnered with China's EV battery manufacturers in recent years to research and develop EV batteries, xinhuanet.com reported yesterday. The new center integrates battery research and development (R&D), manufacturing and testing, and will drive the expansion of BMW Brilliance's new energy vehicles in the Chinese market. 

With the global trend of green development, BMW is upping R&D on new energy vehicles. Thus far, it has already established three EV battery centers in an integrated system around the globe.The Shenyang-based center is BMW's first such outside Europe.

BMW formed the JV with Brilliance Auto [HK:1114]  in Shenyang in 2003. The JV has already released 4 new energy vehicle models in the Chinese market and is now introducing a wireless charging function to it.

BMW Brilliance also plans to install 65,000 exclusive charging pillars in China by the end of this year, the report added.