BMW’s new generation battery is exposed, and BMW has just caught up with Tesla!

BMW has shown strong confidence in the new generation of battery technology, but some people say that BMW has only just caught up with Tesla.

"We don't see a gap to Tesla in battery technology now," BMW production chief Milan Nedeljkovic stressed in an interview with Automotive News Europe. The competitiveness of the newly developed sixth-generation battery, BMW executives even directly mentioned Tesla.

BMW will launch electric vehicles equipped with sixth-generation batteries in 2025. Using a cylindrical structure, it is expected to be installed on the Neue Klasse EV model, the follow-up product of the 3 series, for the first time.

It is reported that the new battery is an evolved version of Tesla’s 4680 cylindrical battery. Although the battery width is the same, the height is increased and the energy is increased. In particular, it is planned to produce both 95mm and 120mm versions, with the 95mm mounted on the sedan and the 120mm mounted on the SUV.

Legend: BMW’s prismatic battery (left) and sixth-generation cylindrical battery

The new battery has a ternary system structure, consisting of nickel, manganese and cobalt. Focusing on the high-nickel method, the cobalt content was reduced and silicon material was added as the cathode material. Not only does it reduce carbon emissions generated during the manufacturing process, it also reduces costs.

Compared with existing fifth-generation batteries, the energy density is increased by 20%. Depending on the battery capacity, it is expected to be able to travel up to 1,000 kilometers on a single charge. In addition, the 800V system used by Porsche and Hyundai and Kia vehicles is also suitable. It can quickly charge up to 270kW, and it only takes 20 minutes to reach 10%~80%. This is also 30% faster than fifth-generation batteries.

And BMW also uses "Pack-to-Body". This is a technology where the battery itself becomes part of the vehicle body, eliminating the need for additional structures. This was also first proposed by Tesla. BMW also used the same method to reduce production costs and weight while improving rigidity. "The sixth generation of batteries contains ideas for realizing a car that meets our expectations," said BMW production chief Milan Nedelkovic.

Legend: BMW’s sixth-generation cylindrical battery

The production of BMW batteries is handled by CATL and EVE Energy, and is produced in 6 factories around the world. This is to ensure a stable supply of batteries by ensuring multiple sources. The annual production target is 20GWh.

Instead of building its own battery production facilities, BMW will put forward its own requirements to battery suppliers. BMW production chief Milan Nedelkovic likens the approach to ordering food at a restaurant. He explained: "To make truly delicious food, you need a good recipe. It is the recipe that ultimately determines the taste of the food. And BMW developed the recipe, which is the chemical composition and ingredients (required for battery development)."

BMW’s electric vehicle sales increased by 80% year-on-year in the third quarter of this year. 15.1% of BMW's total sales are electric vehicles, and it plans to increase this to 20% by 2024. To this end, in addition to existing lithium-ion methods, research is also underway on chemical substances for price-competitive lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.