BMW promised some impressive figures with its Gen6 eDrive platform that would underpin the upcoming Neue Klasse EV models, and now the carmaker has detailed those numbers. Headlining those numerics would be a range of up to 900 km on a single charge for some models.
While the initial numbers went up to 999 km, the revised range is still very impressive and better than pretty much any other EV on sale – at least here in Malaysia. BMW went on to state that even the least efficient Neue Klasse models will have a minimum range of 600 km.
Key to the impressive range within the new 800V architecture are cylindrical battery cells that replace the standard prismatic cells. Cylindrical cells have an improved energy density by around 20%, yielding a 30% increase in range and charging speed. According to BMW, the Neue Klasse models will get 299km of range with a 10-minute charge at a DC fast charging station.
The first model underpinned by the new Gen6 platform will be the iX3 later this year, followed by the i3 sedan a year later. If all goes according to plan, BMW is looking to release at least four new EVs with Gen6 technology by 2028.
Being lightweight and slim, the new cylindrical cells and Gen6 technology would benefit other models within the BMW portfolio as well, such as BMW M, MINI and even Rolls-Royce cars. BMW has already confirmed the next-generation M3 and M4 will come in fully electric forms.
The electric M models will run on BMW’s new “Heart of Joy” central computing system. Touted as a superbrain, it integrates all the key EV functions such as charging, energy recuperation, braking and steering into a single super-fast processor that is 10 times faster than the previous system.
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