BMW to produce solid-state batteries this year

BMW Group has stolen the march on its premium rivals by setting up a joint-venture with US battery specialist Solid Power that will see it begin manufacturing next-generation solid-state batteries this year.

The deal will see BMW initially produce prototype batteries at its Cell Manufacturing Competence Center (CMCC) near Munich ahead of on-road trials starting “before 2025”.

BMW has not detailed the full benefits of its next-gen batteries, other than claiming they will be at least 20 per cent more power dense than current tech.

But previous trials of experimental solid-state cells have proven them capable of charging far quicker, holding more power and lasting much longer than today’s lithium-ion cells.

Crucially, the chemical composition of solid-state batteries also makes them cheaper to build and manufacture.

Many consider this the holy grail that will see EVs achieve price parity with equivalent petrol-powered cars.

As far as timing goes, the 2025 real-world demonstrator could pave the way for full series-production solid-state-powered cars in 2026 or 2027, which could hand BMW a competitive edge over rivals.

Japanese car-maker Nissan is widely tipped to be among the first large-scale car-makers to launch EVs with solid-state batteries, but that won’t happen until 2028.

Ford has announced its solid-state batteries won’t be available until the end of the decade while Toyota, despite announcing production would begin in 2025, has not yet disclosed when it will produce them for mass consumption.

BMW’s closest rival, Mercedes-Benz, has confirmed its next-gen batteries are in development but has so far only said they will be introduced in the “second half of this decade”.

The only car-maker that will comfortably beat BMW is Volkswagen, thanks to its partnership with QuantumScape that plans to start selling vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries in 2024.

Claimed to offer 80 per cent more range than the same-size battery, the VW-QuantumScape power packs can be charged from flat to 80 per cent in just 15 minutes.

After 800 cycles, the new battery retains 80 per cent of its capacity

There’s no word yet on the first car to be powered by the next-gen power packs, but it’s thought VW will start with a small run of cars.

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