BMW has reached contractual agreement with its cell manufacturers for its 5th Gen battery cells

5 July 2020, 04:17:42

In a recent interview, Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW, said that the company already has "a contractual agreement with its cell manufacturers that they will use only green power to produce BMW's fifth-generation battery cells." These cells will be introduced later this year with the BMW iX3 and will power next year's BMW i4 and BMW iNEXT.

Even though Mr Zipse did not mention the battery cell manufacturers, it is largely believed that these are the Chinese CATL and South Korean Samsung SDI. Last year, they supplied battery celles worth of 10 billion euros to BMW.

Samsung SDI is a long-time partner of BMW. Since 2009, batteries have been supplied to BMW vehicles, with the exception of some models sold in China. Last year, in November, it signed a long-term business agreement with BMW to supply batteries worth 2.9 billion euros. The contract period is from 2021 to 2031.

In addition, BMW increased the battery supply from CATL. In mid-2018 there was an initial order volume of 4 billion euros which in November last year was increased to 7.3 billion euros with contract duration from 2020 to 2031. Of those, 4.5 billion euros are for the BMW Group and 2.8 billion euros are for the Chinese BMW production site in Shenyang. BMW is also the first customer for CATL's factory in Erfurt, German, which is currently under construction. It is believed the CATL's batteries will power the BMW iNEXT.

Samsung SDI is also collaborating with BMW on ethical battery production. It includes solving the problem of child labor exploitation and environmental pollution of the core battery material, cobalt. Samsung SDI is conducting research on improving the working environment of Samsung Electronics, BMW, BASF, the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and the Cobalt Mine in the Congo, Lualava. Depending on the project performance, it will be applied to other mines.Source

News related to BMW, i4, iNEXT, iX3, CATL or Samsung

With the BMW i Vision Circular, the BMW Group is looking ahead to a compact BMW for the year 2040 that is focused squarely on sustainability and luxury. The four-seater is fully electrically powered and offers a generous amount of interior space within its around four-meter-long footprint. It has furthermore been designed according to circular economy principles across the board and therefore symbolizes the BMW...

6 September 2021

The BMW iX3 has teamed up with Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings," which will open in global cinemas beginning in September. This marks the next installment in BMW's successful collaboration with Marvel Studios following the BMW X3 and BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé appearing in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" earlier this year. The BMW iX3's integration in the new Marvel Studios film coincides with...

30 August 2021

The new 2022 BMW iX3 is now available to order. Fresh design accents underscore the close conceptual and technological links between the all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) for the premium midsize class and the BMW iX and BMW i4. The front end has increased presence thanks to the larger BMW kidney grille, headlights around ten millimeters slimmer than before, and a newly sculpted front apron. Muscular...

11 August 2021

South Korean news outlet The Elec reports that Samsung SDI has won a contract for manufacturing batteries for Volkswagen. According to "people familiar with the matter", the Korean giant will produce a part of VW's self-designed Unified Prismatic Cells. The media speculates that other companies in which Volkswagen has a stake will also contribute to the production of these battery cells. These are Northvolt and...

5 August 2021

Urban mobility and sustainability are the central themes of the International Motor Show (IAA) 2021, which will be held for the first time in Munich, the headquarters of the BMW Group, where it will become a forum for lectures and discussions on the future of individual transport and living together in urban centres. MINI is enriching this dialogue at IAA Mobility 2021 with innovations and visions for locally...

5 August 2021

CATL has introduced the first generation of its sodium-ion batteries. The final product is a result of many years of research and development to overcome several challenges that stood in front of the commercialization of such batteries. First, sodium ions are 2.4 times larger in volume than lithium ones and are large and slower to move. Second, sodium-ion cells have a lower energy density and are heavier compared to...

1 August 2021

Samsung introduced the ISOCELL Auto 4AC, an automotive image sensor that offers advanced 120-decibel (dB) high dynamic range (HDR) and LED flicker mitigation (LFM) especially for surround-view monitors (SVM) or rear-view cameras (RVC) in high-definition resolution (1280 x 960). The new sensor is Samsung’s first imaging solution optimized for automotive applications. "The new ISOCELL Auto 4AC combines Samsung's...

14 July 2021

The BMW iX entered production at the Dingolfing plant in Lower Bavaria, Germany - BMW Group’s largest European production plant, which now produces vehicles with all drive train variants, i.e. combustion-engine vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fully-electric models, on a single line thanks to additional expansion and refurbishment. The BMW Group has invested a total of more than 400 million euros in producing the BMW...

3 July 2021

According to SNE Research, CATL ranks first in the global EV battery market for the first five months of 2021. Its market share for January-May 2021 is 31.2% compared to 22% for January-May 2020. However, if we look at the GWh installed, the YoY growth reaches a staggering 272.1% from 7.4GWh in 2020 to 27.6GWh in 2021. LG Energy Solutions is second with 23.1% market share for January-May 2021 and a 166.7% growth in...

2 July 2021

A few days ago, TheElec reported about Samsung SDI's plans on investing 2 trillion won in developing its EV battery business, excluding the USA market. A decision about expanding to North America was yet to be made. Today, the same news outlet reports that this decision is a fact - Samsung SDI has decided to build an EV battery factory in the USA. This factory will be the first for Samsung SDI in the local market...

29 June 2021

TheElec reports that Samsung SDI plans on spending up to 2 trillion won in its battery business this year. Compared to the 1.4 trillion won invested in 2020, this is a 42% increase. O the total investment for 2021, 1.5 trillion won will go to the EV battery and ESS business, while the rest will most probably be spent on the small battery business. Most of the money will be used for expanding the existing factories...

28 June 2021

Reuters reported that according to "four people with knowledge of the matter", Aplpe is in talks with CATL and BYD for supplying batteries for a future electric vehicle. These talks are in a very early stage and it remains largely uncertain whether any agreements will be reached. One of Apple's main condition is the future battery suppliers to create battery manufacturing facilities in the USA, according to two of...

9 June 2021

he BMW iX is ready for series production and is due to arrive on the world's roads from November 2021. The BMW iX will be launched with a choice of two model variants. Both are equipped with an electric all-wheel-drive system. The 2022 BMW iX xDrive50 offers 385 kW (523 hp) and 630 km (391 mi) of WLTP range. The 2022 BMW iX xDrive40 offers 240 kW (326 hp) and 425 km (264 mi) of range. At a later date next year, the...

2 June 2021

BMW has finally released the full specifications of the BMW i4 which will make its market debut in November 2021. The first two models are the 2022 BMW i4 eDrive40 and the 2022 BMW i4 M50. Here are some highlights of their specifications. The 2022 BMW i4 eDrive40 is a Gran Coupé with five doors and five seats as per the official specifications, even though press releases refer to it as a four-door one. It offers a...

2 June 2021