Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automotive News Europe
  • Automotive News China
  • Automobilwoche
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • login
  • HOME
  • News
    • News by Brand
    • Auto Shows
    • Canadians Abroad
    • Photo Galleries
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • Retail
    • Dealer Best Practices
    • Government Relations
    • Trade and Tariffs
    • Technology
    • Labour
    • Aston Martin
    • BMW
      • Mini
      • Rolls Royce
    • Daimler
      • Mercedes Benz
      • Smart
    • Ferrari
    • Ford
      • Lincoln
    • General Motors
      • Buick
      • Cadillac
      • Chevrolet
      • GMC
    • Honda
      • Acura
    • Hyundai
      • Kia
    • Mazda
    • Mitsubishi
    • Nissan
      • Infiniti
    • Stellantis
      • Alfa Romeo
      • Chrysler
      • Dodge
      • Fiat Chrysler
      • Jeep
      • Fiat
      • Lancia
      • Maserati
      • Ram
    • Subaru
    • Tata
      • Jaguar
      • Land Rover
    • Tesla
    • Toyota
      • Lexus
    • Volkswagen
      • Audi
      • Bentley
      • Bugatti
      • Lamborghini
      • Porsche
    • Volvo
    • VinFast
    • Toronto Auto Show
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • EVENTS & AWARDS
    • 2022 Auto News Canada All-Stars
    • 2022 Canadians To Watch
    • 2022 Diversity Champions
    • Best Dealerships To Work For
    • Canada Congress
    • Retail Forum: Dealer Discussions
    • Leading Women Roundtables
    • Embracing Diversity Roundtable
    • EVs Decoded
  • Jobs & Classifieds
  • +MORE
    • IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
    • NEWSLETTERS
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • CLASSIFIEDS
    • PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
    • COMPANIES ON THE MOVE
    • WEBINARS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • CONTACT US
    • DIGITAL EDITION
    • PUBLISHING PARTNERS
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Electric Vehicles
December 01, 2022 06:29 AM

BMW hatches an EV battery with 30% more range

BMW's next-generation lithium ion cell will power the automaker's Neue Klasse electric vehicles

Urvaksh Karkaria
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Simon-MAIN_i.jpg
    Urvaksh Karkaria
    Simon Erhard

    MUNICH — BMW Group is developing a battery cell that promises to go farther, cost less and be gentler on the planet.

    The new lithium ion cell will power BMW's next-gen Neue Klasse (New Class) electric vehicles.

    The so-called Gen 6 battery, under development at the BMW Group Battery Cell Centre of Excellence here, delivers up to 30 per cent greater driving range than the current generation, according to the company.

    A key to the performance is the battery cell's cylindrical shape, said Simon Erhard, who helps lead Gen 6 development at BMW Group.

    While current BMW batteries feature prismatic cells configured in modules bolted together to form a pack, the next-gen design ditches the modules. Its new cell-to-pack design allows more power-packing cells to be squeezed into the same battery footprint. The Gen 6 battery has a diameter of 46 millimeters.

    "Energy density is much higher than before," Erhard told a group of journalists at a media briefing this week. "You can put more cells into the battery pack."

    Maximizing energy density also reduces battery weight and cost.

    BMW said the new battery pack is 50 per cent less expensive. That will be essential to achieving price parity with combustion engine vehicles, as the battery pack accounts for about 40 per cent of an electric vehicle's cost.

    Generation 6 battery

    BMW's next-generation lithium-ion battery promises:

    • 30% increase in energy efficiency and recharging speed.
    • 50% decrease in cost
    • 60% reduction in carbon emissions
    NEW DESIGN

    Erhard said the "cell-to-chassis" design allows the battery pack to be mounted directly into the vehicle frame, improving chassis stiffness and ride quality.

    "With Gen 6, we're integrating cylindrical battery cells straight into the vehicle," he said. "It's now part of the body."

    BMW is further refining the design.

    "The main challenge is to achieve the right compromise between stiffness and flexibility," Erhard said. "The most integrated [design] would be where the vehicle floor is the upper part of the battery pack."

    BMW isn't the only automaker experimenting with structural batteries.

    In the newest version of its Model Y, Tesla has a similar cell-to-pack concept in which cylindrical battery cells are bonded with structural adhesive, sandwiched between two metal plates and connected to the front and rear cast-metal structures of the crossover.

    GREEN BATTERY

    The Gen 6 battery promises to go farther on a single charge and recharge faster. Recharging from 10 to 80 per cent is 30 per cent quicker.

    The cell itself is more sustainable, as it uses more nickel and silicon and less cobalt. BMW said the cathode in its battery cell boasts 50 per cent less cobalt, while the anode has 20 per cent less graphite.

    The cells will be produced with renewable energy and partly use recycled cobalt, nickel and lithium to cut production-related carbon emissions by 60 per cent.

    Erhard said the technology maximizes energy efficiency with "smart integration while keeping safety high and a low carbon footprint."

    ROAD AHEAD

    BMW will build several Neue Klasse electric crossover models at its U.S. factory in Greer, S.C., starting mid-decade. BMW has said it intends to produce at least six electric models there by 2030.

    To supply those vehicles, BMW has tapped Envision AESC to build Gen 6 battery cells at a new factory in South Carolina. The factory will have an annual capacity of up to 30-gigawatt hours — able to supply enough batteries for 300,000 EVs annually, according to AutoForecast Solutions.

    But even as BMW readies its next EV batteries for market, it is exploring new technologies such as solid-state batteries.

    Erhard said innovation in lithium ion battery technology is peaking.

    "From an energy density point of view," he said, "we're facing the [limits] of lithium ion cell chemistry in industrialized applications."

    Reuters contributed to this report.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Suzuki taps two-speed transmission by Canada's Inmotive to power EVs
    Recommended for You
    Inmotive Ingear Transmission
    Suzuki taps two-speed transmission by Canada's Inmotive to power EVs
    MANCHIN-01_i.jpg
    Proposed bill would immediately cut off U.S. credits for EVs that don't meet battery rules
    Hyundai Kona Electric rtrs web.jpg
    Canadian ZEV registrations jump to another record high in Q3
    Google Canada exec on navigating auto consumer behaviour trends
    Sponsored Content: Google Canada exec on navigating auto consumer behaviour trends
    Digital Edition
    Jan 2023 Issue
    View latest issue
    See our archive
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up today for our Weekly Newsletter, Daily Newsletter and Breaking News Alerts. We'll deliver the news you need to know straight to your inbox.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Subscribe Now

    An Automotive News Canada subscription includes 12 monthly issues – delivered in print to your doorstep, and digitally to your inbox – plus unlimited, 24/7 access to our website.

    Subscribe Now
    Connect With Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Our Mission

    The Automotive News Canada mission is to be the primary source of industry news, data and understanding for the industry's decision-makers interested in Canada.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Ave
    Detroit MI 48207

    1-877-812-1257

    Email Us

    ISSN 2475-5001 (print)
    ISSN 2475-501X (online)

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Digital Edition Archive
    • Advertise with Us
    • Reprints
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Canada
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
    • News
      • News by Brand
        • Aston Martin
        • BMW
          • Mini
          • Rolls Royce
        • Daimler
          • Mercedes Benz
          • Smart
        • Ferrari
        • Ford
          • Lincoln
        • General Motors
          • Buick
          • Cadillac
          • Chevrolet
          • GMC
        • Honda
          • Acura
        • Hyundai
          • Kia
        • Mazda
        • Mitsubishi
        • Nissan
          • Infiniti
        • Stellantis
          • Alfa Romeo
          • Chrysler
          • Dodge
          • Fiat Chrysler
          • Jeep
          • Fiat
          • Lancia
          • Maserati
          • Ram
        • Subaru
        • Tata
          • Jaguar
          • Land Rover
        • Tesla
        • Toyota
          • Lexus
        • Volkswagen
          • Audi
          • Bentley
          • Bugatti
          • Lamborghini
          • Porsche
        • Volvo
        • VinFast
      • Auto Shows
        • Toronto Auto Show
      • Canadians Abroad
      • Photo Galleries
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • Retail
      • Dealer Best Practices
      • Government Relations
      • Trade and Tariffs
      • Technology
      • Labour
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • EVENTS & AWARDS
      • 2022 Auto News Canada All-Stars
      • 2022 Canadians To Watch
      • 2022 Diversity Champions
      • Best Dealerships To Work For
      • Canada Congress
      • Retail Forum: Dealer Discussions
      • Leading Women Roundtables
      • Embracing Diversity Roundtable
      • EVs Decoded
    • Jobs & Classifieds
    • +MORE
      • IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
      • NEWSLETTERS
      • SUBSCRIBE
      • CLASSIFIEDS
      • PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
      • COMPANIES ON THE MOVE
      • WEBINARS
      • ADVERTISE WITH US
      • CONTACT US
      • DIGITAL EDITION
      • PUBLISHING PARTNERS