BMW NEUE KLASSE BEVs will launch in 2025 with new, cylindrical battery cells by CATL and EVE Energy

10 September 2022, 16:07:54

BMW NEUE KLASSE BEVs will launch in 2025 with new, cylindrical battery cells by CATL and EVE EnergyFollowing the announcement of its collaboration with CATL, which will build cylindrical cell batteries for BMW in dedicated factories in Europe and China, BMW announced that it is set to launch a new era of e-mobility from 2025 with the models of its NEUE KLASSE – using newly-developed round battery cells optimized for the new architecture for the first time.

The BMW Group has already awarded contracts in the two-digit billion-eurothe range for production of the new BMW battery cells. By leveraging the comprehensive in-house expertise of the company’s own Battery Cell Competence Centre, the team from development, production and purchasing has been able to significantly reduce costs for the high-voltage battery, thanks to the new battery cell and new integration concept for battery technology developed by BMW. Based on current market assumptions, costs can be reduced by up to 50 percent, compared to the current fifth generation. The BMW Group has set itself the goal of bringing manufacturing costs for fully-electric models down to the same level as vehicles with state-of-the-art combustion-engine technology.

For the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology used in the NEUE KLASSE, the company has fundamentally refined the cell format and cell chemistry. With the new BMW round cell specially designed for the electric architecture of the NEUE KLASSE models, it will be possible to significantly increase the range of the highest-range model by up to 30 percent (according to WLTP).

The new BMW round cells come with a standard diameter of 46 mm and two different heights. Compared to the prismatic cells of the fifth BMW battery cell generation, the nickel content in the sixth-generation BMW round cells is higher on the cathode side, while the cobalt content is reduced. On the anode side, the silicon content will be increased. As a result, the cell’s volumetric energy density will improve by more than 20 percent.

The battery system plays a key role in the body structure of the NEUE KLASSE. Depending on the model, it can be flexibly integrated into the installation space to save space (“pack to open body”). The cell module level is thus eliminated.

The battery, drive train, and charging technology in the NEUE KLASSE will also have a higher voltage of 800 volts. Among other things, this will optimize how energy is supplied to direct current high-power charging stations, which can achieve a much higher charging capacity with a current of up to 500 amperes – thus reducing the time it takes to charge the vehicle from 10 to 80 percent by up to 30 percent.

To supply the battery cells needed for the NEUE KLASSE, the BMW Group has already awarded contracts in the two-digit billion-euro range for the construction of battery cell factories to CATL and EVE Energy. Both partners will build two gigafactories in China and Europe. Each of the battery cell factories will have a total annual capacity of up to 20 GWh. Plans call for two more battery cell factories to be built in the North American free trade zone, USMCA, for which the partners have not yet been nominated.

The three regions where the battery cell factories will be built will also benefit economically from the creation of new supply chains, new networks for subcontractors, and new jobs.

The sixth-generation battery technology also offers the option of using cathodes made of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) for the first time. This means the critical raw materials cobalt and nickel can then be avoided entirely in the cathode material. In parallel, the BMW Group is also pushing forward with the development of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). The company aims to have high-voltage batteries of this type ready for series introduction by the end of the decade. The BMW Group will present a demonstrator vehicle with this technology on board well before 2025.

With a fast-growing product lineup and high demand, the BMW Group aims to have more than two million fully-electric vehicles on the roads by the end of 2025.

The all-electric NEUE KLASSE will make a significant contribution to BMW Group sales volumes from mid-decade. The NEUE KLASSE has the potential to further accelerate the market penetration of e-mobility: This means 50 percent of the BMW Group’s global sales could already come from fully-electric vehicles before 2030.

The MINI brand will have an exclusively all-electric product range by the early 2030s, while Rolls-Royce will also be an all-electric brand from 2030. All future new models from BMW Motorrad in the field of urban mobility will likewise be fully electric.

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EV Specifications

Complete specifications of EVs, grouped according to their brand and year

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Featured

Specifications of some of the most interesting and anticipated EVs.

2024 BMW i5 M60 xDrive

2024 BMW i5 M60 xDrive

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 199.2 in / 5060 mm
Width: 74.8 in / 1900 mm
Height: 59.3 in / 1505 mm
Curb weight: 5081.66 lb / 2305 kg
Electric motor #1: 250 kW, 430 Nm, Location: Rear
Electric motor #2: 192 kW, 365 Nm, Location: Front
Battery: 81.2 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2024 BMW i5 eDrive40

2024 BMW i5 eDrive40

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 199.2 in / 5060 mm
Width: 74.8 in / 1900 mm
Height: 59.6 in / 1515 mm
Curb weight: 4695.85 lb / 2130 kg
Electric motor: 250 kW, 430 Nm, Location: Rear
Battery: 81.2 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2023 Tesla Model Y

2023 Tesla Model Y Performance AWD

Doors: 4, Seats: 5 / 7
Length: 187.0 in / 4751 mm
Width: 75.6 in / 1921 mm
Height: 63.9 in / 1624 mm
Curb weight: 4398.22 lb / 1995 kg
Electric motor #1: 235 kW @ 5075 rpm, 420 Nm @ 325 - 4800 rpm, Location: Rear
Electric motor #2: 158 kW @ 8275 rpm, 163 Nm @ 125 - 6375 rpm, Location: Front
Battery: 82.1 kWh, Voltage: 360 V

2023 Tesla Model Y

2023 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD

Doors: 4, Seats: 5 / 7
Length: 187.0 in / 4751 mm
Width: 75.6 in / 1921 mm
Height: 63.9 in / 1624 mm
Curb weight: 4362.95 lb / 1979 kg
Electric motor #1: 220 kW, Location: Rear
Electric motor #2: 158 kW @ 8275 rpm, 163 Nm @ 125 - 6375 rpm, Location: Front
Battery: 82.1 kWh, Voltage: 360 V

2023 Tesla Model 3

2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 184.8 in / 4694 mm
Width: 72.8 in / 1849 mm
Height: 56.8 in / 1443 mm
Curb weight: 4047.69 lb / 1836 kg
Electric motor #1: 239 kW, 450 Nm, Location: Rear
Electric motor #2: 158 kW @ 6622 rpm, 240 Nm, Location: Front
Battery: 82.1 kWh, Voltage: 360 V

2023 Tesla Model 3

2023 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 184.8 in / 4694 mm
Width: 72.8 in / 1849 mm
Height: 56.8 in / 1443 mm
Curb weight: 4034.46 lb / 1830 kg
Electric motor #1: 208 kW @ 6700 rpm, 330 Nm @ 325 - 5500 rpm, Location: Rear
Electric motor #2: 158 kW @ 8275 rpm, 163 Nm @ 125 - 6375 rpm, Location: Front
Battery: 82.1 kWh, Voltage: 360 V

2022 Tesla Model 3

2022 Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 184.8 in / 4694 mm
Width: 72.8 in / 1849 mm
Height: 56.8 in / 1443 mm
Curb weight: 4047.69 lb / 1836 kg
Electric motor #1: 239 kW, 450 Nm, Location: Rear
Electric motor #2: 158 kW @ 6622 rpm, 240 Nm, Location: Front
Battery: 82.1 kWh, Voltage: 360 V

2022 Tesla Model 3

2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 184.8 in / 4694 mm
Width: 72.8 in / 1849 mm
Height: 56.8 in / 1443 mm
Curb weight: 4034.46 lb / 1830 kg
Electric motor #1: 208 kW @ 6700 rpm, 330 Nm @ 325 - 5500 rpm, Location: Rear
Electric motor #2: 158 kW @ 8275 rpm, 163 Nm @ 125 - 6375 rpm, Location: Front
Battery: 82.1 kWh, Voltage: 360 V

2023 Tesla Model X

2023 Tesla Model X Plaid

Doors: 4, Seats: 5 / 6 / 7
Length: 199.1 in / 5057 mm
Width: 78.7 in / 1999 mm
Height: 66.1 in / 1680 mm
Curb weight: 5740.84 lb / 2604 kg
Location: Rear
Location: Front
Battery: 99 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2023 Tesla Model X

2023 Tesla Model X

Doors: 4, Seats: 5 / 6 / 7
Length: 199.1 in / 5057 mm
Width: 78.7 in / 1999 mm
Height: 66.1 in / 1680 mm
Curb weight: 5630.61 lb / 2554 kg
Location: Rear
Location: Front
Battery: 100 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2023 Tesla Model S

2023 Tesla Model S Plaid

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 197.7 in / 5021 mm
Width: 77.3 in / 1963 mm
Height: 56.3 in / 1431 mm
Curb weight: 4940.56 lb / 2241 kg
Location: Rear
Location: Front
Battery: 99 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2023 Tesla Model S

2023 Tesla Model S

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 197.7 in / 5021 mm
Width: 77.3 in / 1963 mm
Height: 56.3 in / 1431 mm
Curb weight: 4883.24 lb / 2215 kg
Location: Rear
Location: Front
Battery: 100 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2022 Tesla Model X

2022 Tesla Model X Plaid

Doors: 4, Seats: 5 / 6 / 7
Length: 198.9 in / 5052 mm
Width: 78.7 in / 1999 mm
Height: 66.0 in / 1676 mm
Curb weight: 5740.84 lb / 2604 kg
Location: Rear
Location: Front
Battery: 99 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2022 Tesla Model X

2022 Tesla Model X

Doors: 4, Seats: 5 / 6 / 7
Length: 198.9 in / 5052 mm
Width: 78.7 in / 1999 mm
Height: 66.0 in / 1676 mm
Curb weight: 5630.61 lb / 2554 kg
Location: Rear
Location: Front
Battery: 100 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2022 Tesla Model S

2022 Tesla Model S Long Range

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 196.0 in / 4978 mm
Width: 77.3 in / 1963 mm
Height: 56.3 in / 1431 mm
Curb weight: 4883.24 lb / 2215 kg
Location: Rear
Location: Front
Battery: 100 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2022 Tesla Model S

2022 Tesla Model S Plaid Tri Motor AWD

Doors: 4, Seats: 5
Length: 196.0 in / 4978 mm
Width: 77.3 in / 1963 mm
Height: 56.3 in / 1431 mm
Curb weight: 4940.56 lb / 2241 kg
Location: Rear
Location: Front
Battery: 99 kWh, Voltage: 400 V

2023 Rivian R1S

2023 Rivian R1S Adventure Dual-Motor Max Pack

Doors: 4, Seats: 7
Length: 200.8 in / 5100 mm
Height: 77.4 in / 1966 mm
Location: Rear
Location: Front

2023 Lexus RZ 450e

2023 Lexus RZ 450e Luxury

Doors: 5, Seats: 5
Length: 189.2 in / 4805 mm
Height: 64.4 in / 1635 mm
Curb weight: 4662.78 lb / 2115 kg
Electric motor #1: 80 kW, 168 Nm, Location: Rear
Electric motor #2: 150 kW, 266 Nm, Location: Front
Battery: 71.4 kWh, Voltage: 355 V