BMW’s New EVs Will Beat Everyone on Range

We knew BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse models would be efficient, we just didn’t know how efficient. Today, the German automaker officially detailed its next-generation EV platform—and the numbers are impressive.

With BMW’s new Gen6 eDrive electric platform underneath, some Neue Klasse models will be able to travel up to 560 miles on a single charge. That is a slight downgrade to the 621 miles of range initially rumored—but it’s still an impressive figure nonetheless, and better than every EV currently on the road. Even the least efficient Neue Klasse models (and possibly the sportiest) will still have a minimum of 373 miles of range.

The new 800-volt architecture will use cylindrical cells as opposed to standard prismatic cells, which will be integrated directly into the high-voltage battery pack (instead of the modules). These cylindrical cells have an improved energy density of around 20 percent and will help yield a 30 percent increase in range and charging speeds. BMW says most Neue Klasse models will be able to recoup 186 miles in just 10 minutes at a DC fast charging station.

The first of these new Gen6 platforms will be introduced later this year in the iX3 electric crossover. The i3 sedan with the same technology should arrive the following year. BMW plans to introduce at least four new EVs with the new technology by 2028.

Thanks to the battery tech’s slim and lightweight construction, the Gen6 technology could even make its way to other models within the BMW portfolio, not just Neue Klasse vehicles. Think, M performance, Mini, and Rolls-Royce. BMW has already confirmed electric M3 and M4 models.

Photo by: BMW

Photo by: BMW

Those electric M models will also use BMW’s recently introduced “Heart of Joy” central computing system. The so-called “superbrain” seamlessly integrates braking, energy recuperation, charging, and steering into one super-fast processor that is supposedly 10 times quicker than the previous setup.

We’ll know more about BMW’s next-generation EVs when the iX3 debuts later this year.

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