During a conference call pertaining to BMW’s quarterly statement, company CEO Oliver Zipse announced when we will get a preview of the next wave of electric vehicles. Debuting September 2, the Vision Neue Klasse will be a concept car serving as a follow-up to the 2021 i Vision Circular and the 2023 i Vision Dee. The new showcar will make its first public appearance the next week at the IAA Mobility show Munich.
BMW’s head honcho promises the new concept car “is close to standard production,” so it should provide an accurate preview of what’s to come in 2025. The first models on the NE architecture will enter production in 2025 at the new Debrecen plant in Hungary, with Munich and Shanghai to follow a year later. In addition, the luxury brand has already confirmed it’ll assemble NE-based vehicles in San Luis Potosi and Spartanburg in the latter half of the decade.
Leading the way will be a sedan and a crossover in the 3 Series segment, so think of a globally available i3 (the current model is only sold in China) and the next-generation iX3. The new wave of EVs will use cylindrical batteries promising to deliver a 20% boost in energy density while shaving off 20% of weight. BMW has said its sixth-gen battery tech will deliver 30% faster charging speeds, 50% lower production costs, and a reduction in CO2 emissions during the manufacturing process of 60%.
Depending on the type of vehicle, two battery sizes are in the works. SUVs will have 120-mm tall cells while smaller ones are getting 95-mm cells. Both have a 46-mm diameter and are projected to increase their range compared to the current crop of EVs by as much as 30%. However, BMW has already said a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) is not planned since that would be overkill.
As for charging, every minute spent at a station will bring 30 miles (48 kilometers) of range and 12 minutes will be enough to replenish the battery from 0% to 95%. Even after a decade of use, the batteries will still have 80% of performance.
Source: BMW
