Source: Gasgoo
BMW and Rimac said that they had reached a cooperation agreement on high-voltage battery technology for electric vehicles on April 9, aiming to challenge Asia’s dominance in the field.
Rimac, a maker of electric cars in which Porsche has a 45 percent stake, is expanding its reach as a supplier of battery systems and power-train components to other automakers. Rimac aims to produce 100,000 batteries per year between 2024 and 2026.
The move comes at a time when automakers are under increasing pressure to cut capital spending on electric vehicles. Electric car maker Lucid is also trying to make up for relatively low sales of its electric vehicles by selling its electric drive technology to other carmakers such as Aston Martin.
Image source: BMW
Mate Rimac, CEO of Rimac, said in 2023 that a German automaker would start using Rimac’s battery system this year in a model with annual production of about 40,000 vehicles. In addition, more models would be licensed to use its system.
BMW declined to provide further details on the batteries or new models developed under the partnership. However, BMW promised that the partnership will not provide a new cylindrical battery for the Neue Klasse electric vehicle, which will go into production in 2025.
In 2023, BMW’s pure electric vehicles accounted for 15% of total sales, and this figure is expected to reach 50% by 2030. Although the company has its own battery research center in Germany, it has handed off large-scale development work to partners. Signing multi-billion euro orders with CatL and EVE Energy to produce batteries in China and Europe.
