Eve Energy said it has finalized a cell supply relationship with BMW to provide large cylindrical lithium-ion cells for the latter's Neue Klasse line of models.
(Image credit: BMW)
Eve Energy has announced a battery cell supply agreement with BMW Group, following a similar agreement announced earlier by CATL.
Eve Energy has confirmed a cell supply relationship with BMW to supply large cylindrical lithium-ion cells for the latter's Neue Klasse range of models, the Shenzhen-listed battery maker said in an exchange announcement today.
The project will help the two companies build a long-term and stable relationship in the future, further boosting the company's growth in the lithium-ion power battery market, Eve Energy said.
It will also help boost the company's international presence in the new energy industry and is important for the company to improve its global industrial layout, Eve Energy said, without giving further details.
Earlier today, CATL announced that it has entered into a long-term agreement with BMW Group to supply cylindrical cells for all-electric models of BMW's new generation model architecture, starting in 2025.
CATL will supply BMW with new cylindrical cells with a standard diameter of 46mm, which will be produced at two battery plants in China and Europe, each with an annual capacity of up to 20 GWh for BMW, it said.
BMW also said in a post on its official WeChat account today that it has awarded contracts worth more than 10 billion euros to CATL and Eve Energy to meet the demand for battery cells for new generation models.
The two partners will each build two plants in China and Europe, each with an annual capacity of 20 GWh, BMW said, adding that it will also look for partners to build two more core plants in the North American Free Trade Area.
BMW will be the first to use cylindrical cells in new-generation models starting in 2025, and that sixth-generation lithium-ion cell will bring a major technological leap forward, allowing more than 20 percent higher energy density, up to 30 percent higher range and up to 30 percent faster charging, it said.
Compared to the fifth generation of square cells, the sixth generation of cylindrical cells will contain more nickel in the negative electrode, less cobalt, and more silicon in the positive electrode. These changes will allow the volumetric energy density of the sixth-generation cells to increase by more than 20 percent, BMW said.
The new cylindrical cells have a standard diameter of 46 mm and two different heights, and depending on the model, the cells will be efficiently integrated into the body structure, reducing the space footprint, it said.
By the end of 2025, BMW plans to deliver more than 2 million pure electric vehicles worldwide. By 2030, BMW's all-electric models will account for 50 percent of its global sales, it said.
BMW is also pushing ahead with solid-state batteries, with a goal set to have solid-state high-voltage batteries in production vehicles by 2030, it said.
On May 10, a Bloomberg report mentioned that BMW will use round cells instead of prismatic cells in the Neue Klasse platform. This is following Tesla's lead and is expected to bring costs down by 30 percent, according to the report.
The new round batteries will be produced by BMW's existing partners, the report said, adding that BMW currently buys batteries from CATL and EVE Energy in China, Samsung SDI in South Korea and Northvolt in Sweden.
The energy density of BMW's new batteries will be at least a double-digit lower percentage higher than Tesla's round cells, the Bloomberg report said, citing people familiar with the matter, but giving no further specifics.
Statements from CATL and Eve Energy today corroborate the earlier rumor.
CATL signs deal to supply new cylindrical cells to BMW starting in 2025
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