German legacy automaker BMW expressed strong optimism toward its latest generation of electric vehicle batteries with its interesting remark regarding its lead over Tesla.
Automotive News Europe asked BMW about its strategies to catch up with its closest competitors in the EV market, particularly the Musk-led company.
In response, BMW Group Production Head Milan Nedeljkovic confidently stated that it is Tesla that needs to close the gap with its battery technology advancements.
“Tesla needs to close the gap with us. In fact, we don’t see a gap to Tesla.”
Milan Nedeljkovic, BMW Group Production Head
BMW’s 6th generation battery cells
BMW expects its latest battery design and Neue Klasse platform to beat all its competitors, even Tesla.
The German company has apparently commenced the production of the initial battery cell prototypes that will power its future electric vehicle models by 2025. According to Electrek, the innovative battery cells undergo internal development in the BMW Group Cell Manufacturing Competence Center in Parsdorf, Germany.
Impressively, BMW’s Gen 6 battery cells can apparently cut battery costs by 50%. It can also boost energy density by 20%. Moreover, it reduces production-induced CO2 emissions by 60%.
Apart from these, BMW also boasts that these battery cells offer a 30% driving range increase.
“What we have here is a battery design that suits our products and our idea of how driving performance is fulfilled in our cars. That is why we have our own design of electric engines as well. And they are completely different to others in the market.”
Milan Nedeljkovic, BMW Group Production Head
Challenges
BMW’s battery cell innovation is indeed remarkable. However, there are still challenges that it may face before achieving mass production.
Even the world’s most valuable automaker, Tesla, struggled with various impediments in its production ramp-up of the 4680 battery cells. Some of these include the complexity of the dry-coat electrode process, given that it is still relatively new and unproven.
That said, BMW’s planned volume production of its cylindrical battery cells will also likely suffer from the same difficulties, given that its format is similar to Tesla’s 4680 battery cells.
As noted by CarScoops, CATL and Eve Energy will manage the “high-volatility” of large-scale battery cell production at six various production plants.
It is interesting to note that BMW’s Gen 6 battery cells are based on Tesla’s 4680 battery design revealed in 2020. Now, the German company claims to have overthrown the pioneering automaker of the said battery technology.
BMW is currently establishing the production process for the latest battery cell in Germany, with plans to tap CATL to bring it to mass production. It must also be emphasized that these next-gen BMW batteries will not become available to new electric cars until 2025.
