The BMW Group has confirmed that it will switch from prismatic battery cells to cylindrical cells for its next-gen Neue Klasse [New Class] architecture. The automaker says the new cell format, combined with improved chemistry and a new kind of battery pack, will deliver better performance, lower costs, and a smaller environmental footprint from battery… Read more »
BMW has built a special concept vehicle which it is using to test “innovative drive and chassis control systems” for future electric high-performance cars. The concept testing focuses on a four-wheel drive system comprising four electric motors and an integrated driving dynamics control system. The test car is based on the BMW i4 M50, an… Read more »
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has announced a new EV program, the Managed Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot, in partnership with BMW, Ford and GM. The pilot will evaluate ways in which SMUD can help Sacramento-area customers charge their EVs at times of day that promote optimal energy load management. “This pilot program and the… Read more »
BMW has launched its second battery module production line at Plant Leipzig in Germany. In May of 2021, BMW opened its first battery module production line at Plant Leipzig to manufacture modules for the BMW iX. BMW says approximately €70 million ($71.2 million) has been invested in the production line. “The BMW Group sources its… Read more »
BMW’s new BMW i4 eDrive35 joins the i4 eDrive40 and i4 M50 as a more affordable model in the automaker’s electric sedan lineup. US deliveries are expected to start in the first quarter of 2023 with a starting base price of $51,400 plus $995 destination and handling. The eDrive35 is identical to the eDrive40, except… Read more »
BMW’s i3 was a ground-breaking EV that introduced a number of new technologies when it went on sale in 2014. It was always a bit of a niche vehicle—a small but classy city car—and sales in the US have been fairly modest. In some European markets, however, it’s been a pretty big hit, and BMW… Read more »
BMW plans to open a Cell Manufacturing Competence Centre (CCMC) in the fall of 2022 to demonstrate and study lithium-ion cell production. Located in Parsdorf, Germany, the CCMC will develop a pilot line for battery cell production in stages. At the beginning, systems for electrode production will be installed and run, graphite and nickel oxides… Read more »
BMW of North America and Electrify America have announced an agreement to provide 2022 BMW EV customers with two years of 30-minute complimentary charging sessions at all Electrify America public charging stations. The program will launch with the sale of the new BMW iX xDrive50, BMW i4 eDrive40 and BMW i4 M50 in March. Customers… Read more »
BMW was an early EV leader with the innovative i3, but later seemed to lose interest. The i3 remains on the market, posting decent but unremarkable sales in Europe and getting an occasional upgrade. Now, after eight years, the next electric Beemer has arrived. BMW delivered the first units of its new i4 EV at… Read more »
BMW i Ventures will invest in Our Next Energy (ONE), a Michigan-based energy storage company that’s working to develop longer-range, lower-cost batteries. ONE will use the investment to scale production of its first products. ONE has demonstrated two proprietary technologies. The first, called Aries, uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry in a structural cell-to-pack architecture… Read more »