- BMW begins testing of an i7 EV with a large-format solid-state battery pack.
- With the advancements brought by its Gen6 batteries, BMW doesn’t think it will need solid-state in its EVs this decade.
Solid-state batteries hold the promise of improved energy density and range, better charging characteristics and improved safety. Many automakers have ongoing solid-state research projects, but very few, especially outside China, have working prototypes with large-format batteries.
This BMW i7 is one of those rare cars, and it’s currently undergoing testing around BMW’s home base in Munich.
This is the first BMW with actual solid-state batteries that is out on public roads. The manufacturer is keen to point out that this tester’s batteries are of the all-solid-state variety, not semi-solid-state. This is an important real-world test of a technology that BMW’s Vice President of Battery Cell and Cell Module, Martin Schuster, previously said isn’t needed in its production EVs until the mid-2030s.
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Source: BMW
This solid-state i7 utilizes the same type of prismatic cells as the manufacturer’s Gen5, which are used in its current electric vehicles. The cells have the same form factor, but instead of a liquid electrolyte, they use a solid sulfide-based electrolyte.
“Our BMW i7 ASSB test vehicle on the road is a perfect example of the BMW Group’s technology-open mindset,” Schuster said in a statement. We are continuously advancing the development of new battery cell technologies and are constantly expanding our know-how with valuable partners such as Solid Power.”
The fact that it has cell casings from the current generation of production BMW EV batteries indicates that this vehicle is purely a testbed for the technology, not something that BMW wants to put into production in this form. The manufacturer will bring out its Gen6 batteries with its Neue Klasse EVs, the first of which launches this year. They feature cylindrical cells, and there will likely be one more generation of BMW EV batteries before it transitions to solid-state.
BMW’s battery boss doesn’t expect the manufacturer to need solid-state batteries because it has improved the existing technology significantly for Gen6. It promises 30% faster charging, 30% more range, 60% carbon reduction in the production process and a 50% cost decrease per pack. If the manufacturer is able to bring significant advancements with what it brings out after Gen6, there may not be a need for solid-state batteries, which are currently considerably more expensive to make.
BMW isn’t developing automotive solid-state batteries on its own. Back in 2016, it announced it was teaming up with battery specialist Solid Power, and the partnership was deepened in 2022.
However, unless there’s a breakthrough that makes solid-state batteries considerably cheaper and easier to mass-produce (that BMW thinks is unlikely), it doesn’t seem to be that interested in speeding up the process of bringing them to production.
