The BMW Group and Solid Power have expanded their joint development partnership.
Munich. BMW Group and Solid Power have added a research and development license to their expanded Joint Development Agreement as a foundation for their common next steps. BMW can set up an ASSB prototype line in its Cell Manufacturing Competence Center (CMCC) in Parsdorf, close to Munich, thanks to this license.
The expanded relationship has significant advantages for both businesses, including the ability to carry out complementary cell development and manufacturing activities at both the BMW Group and Solid Power in order to further develop expertise in all-solid-state cell design and manufacturing.
Frank Weber, a Member of the Board of Management BMW AG, Development, stated, “BMW remains committed to the pursuit of all-solid-state batteries, a technology that we believe has significant potential for the future.” We anticipate expanding our partnership with Solid Power and adding the capability to manufacture solid-state cells based on Solid Power’s designs at our own pilot facility. We anticipate that this agreement will speed up the installation of our solid-state prototype line and help our businesses achieve their shared objective of commercializing this promising cell technology.
The BMW Group’s personnel will collaborate with Solid Power to optimize cell manufacturing processes prior to the installation of the prototype line.
“The expansion of our relationship with BMW is additional evidence that BMW and Solid Power are both in support of the advancement of Solid Power’s technology and the value of solid-state batteries.” David Jansen, Interim CEO, President, and Chair of Solid Power, stated, “We look forward to working side-by-side with BMW’s world-class battery team.”
In 2023, Solid Power intends to deliver full-scale automotive cells to BMW Group for testing purposes as the next step in the long-term industrialization timeline.
Before 2025, the first BMW demonstrator vehicle with ASSB technology is planned.
The next generation of Li-Ion technology was announced by BMW Group in 2022. Looking toward the near future and beyond the relationship with Solid Power:
The Gen6 Li-Ion cell from BMW Group will be released in September 2022. The cell format and chemistry of the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology used in the NEUE KLASSE have been fundamentally improved. According to WLTP, it will be possible to significantly increase the range of the highest-range model by up to 30% using the new BMW round cell that has been specifically designed for the electric architecture of the NEUE KLASSE models. The brand-new BMW round cells have heights of 95mm and 120mm, respectively, and a diameter of 46 millimetres. The volumetric energy density of the fifth generation of BMW battery cells, which are prismatic, will increase by more than 20%.
Sales volumes will be significantly increased by NEUE KLASSE.
By the end of 2025, the BMW Group intends to have more than two million fully electric vehicles on the road. Beginning in the middle of the decade, the all-electric NEUE KLASSE will significantly increase BMW Group sales volumes. E-mobility’s market penetration could be further accelerated by the NEUE KLASSE:
As a result, fully electric vehicles could account for 50% of the BMW Group’s global sales by 2030. By the beginning of the 2030s, the MINI brand will exclusively offer electric vehicles, and Rolls-Royce will follow suit beginning in 2030. In addition, all future BMW Motorrad urban mobility models will be entirely electric
