BMW i7 to Get Next-Gen Cylindrical Battery Made by Rimac

BMW's all-electric BMW i7 is set to receive a new high-voltage battery system developed in partnership with Croatian technology firm Rimac, making it the the first time the German manufacturer has combined its latest Generation 6 cylindrical lithium-ion cells with its existing Gen5 module architecture in a single scalable platform. The BMW i7 will be the first fully electric BMW to adopt the integrated approach, which the company says delivers meaningful gains in energy density, driving range and charging performance.

The battery system is being manufactured at the Rimac Campus on the outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia, where the firm has built two fully industrialised production lines and an end-to-end supply chain. The dedicated facility spans 15,000 square metres within a wider 90,000 square metre site, with most of its capacity servicing battery programmes across several vehicle manufacturers.

"BMW has always been known for pushing engineering to the highest level, which made this collaboration especially exciting for us. Together, we developed a high-voltage battery system that unlocks the full potential of the new cylindrical cells in record time, delivering significant improvements in energy, range, and charging performance. We are proud to now see this system being produced at scale at our new Rimac Campus," Mate Rimac, founder and chief executive of the Rimac Group, said in a statement.

"This collaboration with BMW represents an important step forward in electric vehicle technology. Together, we have developed advanced battery technology for the BMW i7, delivering outstanding performance, efficiency, and reliability," said Nurdin Pitarević, chief executive of Rimac Technology, a joint venture between Rimac Group and Porsche AG.

The agreement reinforces Rimac Technology's emergence as a significant volume battery supplier to premium car manufacturers.

"We are rapidly rolling out the technologies of the Neue Klasse across our entire model portfolio -- naturally including our fully electric luxury sedan. The development teams of both companies have created a tailormade solution for the new BMW i7 in a remarkably short time. The excellent collaboration with Rimac Technology is a strong example of European innovative strength," said Thomas Engelhardt, senior vice president for high-voltage battery and charging development at BMW Group.