BMW on Friday offered the primary particulars on its new sixth-generation battery design. Due across the center of the last decade, the sixth-gen battery guarantees important efficiency enhancements over the present fifth-generation design used within the automaker’s newest electrical automobiles, just like the 2022 BMW iX and 2022 BMW i4.
The brand new battery sticks with acquainted lithium-ion know-how however adopts a spherical cell design that gives packaging benefits over the present prismatic cell design BMW makes use of, one thing known as “pack to open physique.”
Contained in the precise cell, the silicon content material on the anode facet and the nickel portion on the cathode facet have been elevated, whereas the portion containing costly cobalt has been decreased. The cobalt may be swapped out for lithium-iron phosphate if wanted.
In response to the automaker, the brand new design interprets to a 20% enchancment within the cell’s volumetric vitality density. The automaker additionally estimates vary will probably be improved by 30% over a fifth-generation battery of comparable measurement and weight.
One other key benefit of the brand new battery is a change to an 800-volt electrical structure, one thing increasingly more automakers are adopting because it permits DC quick charging at excessive charges. BMW hasn’t talked about a particular time determine however mentioned charging a battery from 10%-80% needs to be about 30% faster than it’s at the moment.
Improvement of batteries takes place at BMW’s Battery Cell Competence Middle positioned in Munich, Germany. BMW will even be accountable for manufacturing of the batteries, which will probably be dealt with by six crops every with an annual capability of as much as 20 gwh. The six crops will probably be divided equally amongst China, Europe, and North America, and can use each new and recycled supplies for the batteries. This final issue, together with the brand new cell design, means the price of producing the battery may very well be decreased by as much as 50%, in comparison with the fifth-generation battery, BMW mentioned.
BMW will introduce the brand new battery in a household of EVs code-named the Neue Klasse, German for “New Class.” The primary of the Neue Klasse EVs will arrive in 2025 and can embody a sedan within the 3-Collection section and a sporty SUV.
