800km range hero? Upgraded BMW i7 to gain Rimac batteries, boosting luxo limo’s range and charging speed
BMW has announced it has teamed up with Croatian hypercar-maker Rimac as part of a deal to develop a new high-voltage battery for the facelifted BMW i7 limo that makes its debut later this month.
Announcing that the German car-maker and Rimac Technology had been working together for the past five years, the partnership will see BMW’s latest Gen6 cell chemistry retrofitted to the i7 EV’s module-based architecture.
The new sixth-gen battery in the i7 luxury limousine is said to comprise 4695 cylindrical lithium-ion cells that in the same space deliver 20 per cent more energy density compared to the prismatic cells used in the current car.
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BMW has not released full figures yet but promises a “significantly increased range” over the existing model, which covers up to 625km on a single charge.
The upgraded car is expected to offer between 750-800km before it needs plugging in. Such range should satisfy even the busiest of chauffeurs.
Charging will also be “much faster” than the 195kW-200kW peak charge the current batteries support, although it’s unclear if the new i7 has been modified with more powerful 800-volt electrics.
As well as being developed with Rimac’s help, the battery packs will be assembled at the hypercar-maker’s factory in Jankomir on the outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia, before being shipped to BMW’s Dingolfing plant in Germany.
Rimac says its factory has the capability of making up to 50,000 i7 batteries a year.
Commenting on the manufacturing of the new BMW i7 batteries, Mate Rimac, Rimac’s founder and current CEO of Bugatti Rimac, said: “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.”
The facelifted BMW 7 Series and i7 are expected to be unveiled on April 22 at the Beijing motor show.
