Another report about the upcoming use of large cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells in the next-generation BMW electric cars has emerged.
According to Reuters, EVE Energy - a Chinese battery manufacturer and a BMW battery supplier in China - will supply BMW with cylindrical batteries in Europe. Not only that, EVE Energy is expected to become the primary supplier of this type of cells in Europe.
The news comes from unofficial sources and there are no official comments, but it's not the first time we've heard about BMW and cylindrical battery cells.
The German manufacturer might switch from prismatic battery cells to cylindrical ones (or maybe add them as an option) as soon as in 2025, with the market launch of its next-generation platform “Neue Klasse” (New Class). In May there was a report about a deal related to cylindrical cells with CATL. On top of that, BMW's current battery supplier (of prismatic cells) - Samsung SDI, is developing various types of cylindrical battery cells (4680-type and a shorter one).
Reuters reports also that EVE Energy is planning a large cylindrical battery plant in central China (according to the company's filings). In Europe, the company probably will have to build a separate plant (potentially in Debrecen, Hungary according to previous reports, where CATL is already starting a 100 GWh investment). The location is not accidental, as BMW is building a new factory in Debrecen for Neue Klasse EVs.
Maybe we will get some official announcement from BMW in "early September," when the company reportedly intends to release some battery-related news.
There is a big possibility that BMW will follow Tesla's footsteps and adopt cylindrical battery cells, starting with large, high-capacity cells - like Tesla's 4680-type, rather than the smaller 1865-type and 2170-type.
It's difficult to say whether it will be exactly the same size, as well as whether BMW is going to introduce a structural battery pack (without modules, and in which individual battery cells are ready to carry the load).
