BMW to make electric car batteries lighter, cheaper and more capacious, and their charging speed will increase by 30%

Representatives of the “Big German Three” are not afraid to spend money on developing promising technologies for traction batteries for electric vehicles. BMW, together with the Neue Klasse platform, intends to bring to market next-generation traction batteries by next year, which will increase capacity by 30%, will charge 30% faster, and will be lighter and cheaper than their predecessors.

Image source: BMW Group

Late last week, BMW unveiled its sixth-generation battery platform, which will use 800 volts and will underpin future electric vehicles from BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce. The new platform will enable a 30 percent increase in battery charging speed and a 30 percent increase in range compared to previous-generation electric vehicles.

The chemical composition of the new BMW batteries involves a combination of classic nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC), but in the sixth generation the cells will be cylindrical rather than prismatic. This change alone will increase the charge storage density by 20% compared to the fifth generation batteries. Electric vehicles based on sixth generation batteries will also provide owners with the ability to charge in both directions as standard. This will allow, for example, to power powerful external consumers, return electricity back to the household network or, if necessary, recharge another electric vehicle with a dead battery.

The traction battery housing has also been optimized in terms of layout, and BMW specialists developed its design independently. The sixth generation of BMW electric vehicle power plants also features an improved cooling system and an inverter integrated into the electric motor housing.

The sixth generation of traction batteries will be manufactured by BMW plants in Germany, Hungary, China, Mexico and the USA. This will allow the nearest car assembly plants to be supplied with locally produced batteries. The cells will be manufactured in Europe, China and the USA. Powertrain components such as the control unit and traction motors will be supplied from plants in Germany and Austria. Prototypes of control units are already being manufactured by BMW in its native Bavaria. Serial production will be launched by August of this year, and will reach significant levels by mid-2026.

Overall, the transition to the sixth-generation platform allows BMW to reduce the energy losses of its electric vehicles by 40%, reduce the cost by 20%, and reduce the weight by 10% compared to fifth-generation solutions. The all-electric 3-series model will debut on the Neue Klasse platform this year. A crossover on this platform should be released later. According to BMW representatives, buyers of future electric vehicles of the brand will be able to choose between models with one, two, three or four traction electric motors.