BMW’s electric flagship previews the next chapter of battery technology.
While electrification is rapidly transforming the automotive industry, there remains a significant limiting factor when it comes to the functionality of electric vehicles: the battery. Electric vehicle batteries make EVs often heavier than their combustion-powered counterparts, and their charge capacity means that unless they are focused heavily on efficiency, their driving range is limited compared to many combustion-powered vehicles. In addition, despite the numerous innovations in charging technology, charging an electric vehicle still takes significantly longer than refueling at the pump.
However, in collaboration with Solid Power, BMW Group is looking to push battery technology forward with all-solid-state battery cells. The pure ASSB cells are using BMW’s flagship luxury all-electric sedan, the i7, as a test bed in the area of Munich, Germany. The innovation of ASSB cells promises to provide higher energy density, which translates to longer driving ranges without the increased rate that current battery technology would bring with it.
The new BMW i7 ASSB test vehicle is not only a preview into the future of EV battery technology, but it is also a representation of BMW’s constant pursuit of cutting-edge automotive innovation, including combining proven technology with Solid Power’s forward-thinking solid-state solutions, as the latest chapter of the collaboration between Solid Power and BMW that began in 2016. BMW’s commitment to expertise in battery cell technology began in 2008, and with the information that the BMW i7 ASSB test vehicle is gathering, the next generation of electric luxury vehicles will be more efficient and powerful than ever before thanks to the new innovations that BMW and Solid Power are discovering.
Image Source: BMW