BMW CEO declares its EVs will soon be the ‘benchmark’ in charging, range, and pricing
After previewing some of the technology on its “Neue Klasse” EV platform at CES last week, BMW’s CEO Oliver Zipse is not mixing words when speaking about the German automaker’s future in the EV market. Zipse was as bold to say that BMW’s next wave of EVs will be the industry benchmark in range, charging speeds, and pricing. Forgive us if you’ve heard this one before.
It’s been over three years since BMW introduced its first full wave of EVs and ten years since the debut of its first all-electric model, the eminent (for better or worse) i3 hatchback. Following early adoption of that ultra-compact vehicle, the German automaker’s quest to go all-electric truly began with the iX3 SUV – the first of 13 EV expected to arrive by this year.
At the time, BMW was making some bold claims about the iX3 and its overall EV technology, providing more range, power, and cargo space than a majority of the other competitors on the road at the time.
As we’re sure you’re quite aware, many of those competitors have debuted benchmark technology of their own, and although BMW has continued to roll out more and more EV models like the i4 sedan and kidney bean-heavy iX, it has not yet dominated the market as planned.
Amongst German EV automakers alone, BMW’s EV sales were middle of the pack in 2022 when compared to VW Group (including Audi) and Mercedes-Benz. Nothing to scoff at, but room for improvement nonetheless.
Where BMW believes it has improved is in the EV platform technology its next wave of all-electric models will sit atop, which recently made its debut at CES inside the i Vision Dee concept seen below.
BMW’s Neue Klasse EV platform sounds promising on paper
While this first taste of BMW’s Neue Klasse (“new class”) architecture exists within a concept EV that will more than likely never see an assembly line, the capabilities it represents are ample enough to leave BMW’s CEO Oliver Zipse feeling rather emboldened. He shared the following sentiment with journalists in Las Vegas following the reveal of the i Vision Dee concept:
We will be the benchmark in terms of range, charging speed and pricing. Don’t forget pricing.
Love the confidence, but as they say, “show, don’t tell.”
A key factor in the success of this new BMW architecture will be its battery technology, an area of the EV industry the German automaker has invested heavily in, in recent years. BMW has already shared that the new platform will include new cylindrical cells that are expected to improve energy density, charging speeds, and overall range by 20-30% percent compared to its current battery tech.
This technology itself appears to be much of the reasoning behind Zipse’s “benchmark” comments, but the BMW CEO has promised other EV battery projects in the works as well. For instance, we reported in December that BMW had committed $20 million to long-time partner Solid Power to license its solid-state battery technology and implement assembly lines at its own production facilities.
Solid Power’s energy dense cells have not reached scalability or cost parity with lithium-ion cells, but BMW intends to continue development overseas alongside the Colorado-based battery developer to help reach that sought after epoch for EV battery breakthroughs.
If successful, BMW might be able to deliver on Zipse’s promising of setting the standard in key EV specifications for consumers. However, there are plenty of other competitors also invested in Solid Power and other solid-state battery developers looking to do it first – or at the very least, do it better.
The first BMW EV on the Neue Klasse platform is expected to arrive sometime in 2025 and will be a midsize sedan built in Hungary. You can watch the introduction of the i Vision Dee concept and get a preview of BMW’s upcoming EV tech in the video below:
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Slate Auto, a new EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has poached a key Tesla manufacturing leader to build its electric pickup truck factory in Indiana.
Napoleon Reyes is a US Marine from Indiana who got a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue after leaving the force.
He then worked a few years at Subaru and Wabash before joining Tesla’s manufacturing team at the Fremont Factory in 2020.
There, he became part of the Model Y production ramp and was quickly promoted to lead the Model Y General Assembly in Fremont in 2022.
Reyes led Model Y GA, one of the most critical parts of vehicle manufacturing, for more than a year before being promoted again to lead new pilot processes at the factory.
Most recently, he led the launch of the general assembly line for the Model Y refresh.
The new engineering manager announced this week that he is leaving Tesla to join Slate:
A bit late on the post but after nearly 5 years working at Tesla in Fremont, I made the difficult decision to leave the Company and move closer to home with my family. It was an incredible experience being part of multiple line expansions and multiple Model Y program launches. Leading and managing the Model Y Refresh launch for GA in Fremont this year tested me professionally however we ultimately succeeded due to our amazing cross functional team collaboration. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with such great people, and I will forever be proud and thankful for everything we accomplished together.
I will be taking on a new role as Senior Manager, Plant Vehicle Engineering at Slate Auto in Warsaw, In.
Slate emerged from stealth mode earlier this year to unveil a new type of electric pickup truck featuring modular customization and an affordable price.
The company raised over $700 million through two rounds of investments from several different investors, including Jeff Bezos. It is currently raising more, which basically guarantees that it will be able to reach production.
The startup acquired a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana. It is currently converting to manufacture its electric pickup with a team from legacy automakers and also several former engineers and leaders from Tesla.
Rich Schmidt, an early Tesla manufacturing director, is the head of manufacturing.
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Genesis is preparing to shake things up with its most luxurious SUV yet, the GV90. Thanks to a new patent filing, we are getting a detailed look at how its Rolls-Royce-style coach doors will work.
New patent reveals Genesis GV90 coach door system
When Genesis first unveiled the full-size SUV at the NY Auto Show last March, it wasn’t the stunning design or advanced tech that caught everyone’s attention. It was the coach doors.
Although we were worried it wouldn’t make it to the production model, like many concepts, the Genesis GV90 will be offered with coach doors.
The ultra-luxe electric SUV was first caught with coach doors earlier this year on a car carrier in South Korea. Just last month, the GV90 was spotted in California with a hinge at the rear to open the coach doors.
After several new patents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for new door latching devices, we are getting a sneak peek at how they are expected to work.
The patents, titled “Cinching Device For Door Latches in Vehicle,” and “Door Latch Device for Vehicles,” give a pretty detailed explanation of how the Genesis GV90’s coach doors will operate. The “Door Latch Device” uses a door striker on the lower side of the door, which is opened or closed by a hinge unit.
Unlike traditional doors, which use the B-pillar for support, the device is attached directly to the door itself, allowing for hinge-like movement.
The cinching device works in a similar way. It’s also attached to the door and part of the vehicle. However, unlike most of its kind, Genesis found a way to use a single cinching device to control multiple units. Again, the device is used for B-pillarless doors that swing open.
Genesis already said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles. The patent reveals a glimpse into how the luxury automaker could make it a reality.
Although the Genesis GV90 is expected to be offered with coach doors, they will likely not be standard. Other variants, with traditional door handles, have also been spotted testing in the US and South Korea.
Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. It will be built at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant in South Korea. The flagship Genesis SUV is scheduled to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform, which the company said will “provide 50% improvement in driving range.” It will also be loaded with the latest technology, software, connectivity, and Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities.
Source: USPTO
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Environment
Podcast: Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the launch of the Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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