BMW Neue Klasse i3 Runs 1,213 km on One Charge in Shenyang-Dalian Test

The test was not a pure highway run. It included substantial national road and urban sections, so the i3's range would likely be lower under the same highway conditions used in a separate test by Auto Home, the report said. In that Beijing ring-road test, three electric sedans were driven at highway speeds. One model with a claimed range of 1,008 km covered only 566.4 km, a 56.2 percent achievement rate, at 15.1 kWh/100 km. The other two achieved 63.6 percent and 75.3 percent, with the best covering 678.6 km.

At the Shenyang event, BMW Brilliance President Bao Siqi said the local production of the sixth-generation battery is key to bringing Neue Klasse models to China. "The lifeblood of BMW's pure electric models is in this cylindrical cell," he said, according to ifanr.

The Neue Klasse i3 uses a 113.4 kWh battery. BMW's 46-series cylindrical cells come in two sizes: 4695, 95 mm high, for sedans to reduce floor thickness, and 46120, 120 mm high, for SUVs to increase capacity. The sixth-generation cell uses a high-nickel cathode with more than 90 percent nickel and a silicon-carbon anode. BMW sets the formula and production standards, while CATL and EVE Energy manufacture the cells. The 10 billion yuan battery project in Shenyang was completed before the Neue Klasse rollout.

The article traces the technical case for large cylindrical cells. Early cylindrical cells such as the 18650 had low capacity, requiring thousands of cells per pack and adding weight. Tesla's 4680 format, introduced in 2020, settled on a 46 mm diameter as a balance between range and thermal management. The tabless design reduced internal resistance by about 80 percent, cutting heat generation and allowing more active chemistries. The steel cylindrical case also constrains silicon anode expansion, which is harder to manage in prismatic cells. Lower heat generation means the thermal system does not have to divert as much cooling from the cabin, addressing a common problem in electric cars at highway speeds. The thinner pack, about 20 mm less than a conventional prismatic pack, also allows a lower rear seat position.

Other Chinese battery makers have not shifted quickly to large cylindrical cells because of cost and manufacturing base. Lithium iron phosphate accounts for nearly 70 percent of China's installed battery volume, and prismatic cells using CTP can reach more than 70 percent pack volume utilization, while cylindrical cells leave triangular gaps and typically reach about 60 percent. Existing prismatic capacity has pushed cell costs to 0.3 to 0.4 yuan per watt-hour. Tesla's 4680 effort also ran into difficulties with dry cathode process, with early yields of 70 to 80 percent, below the 95 percent breakeven level for mature lines. BMW avoided dry cathode and used high-speed wet process, accepting higher factory space and energy use to secure production certainty, the report said.

BMW plans to bring nearly 20 new models using Neue Klasse technology to China by 2027. It also aims to raise the share of locally produced models in China to more than 95 percent by 2030 and export China-made BMW vehicles overseas, according to the report.

Editor's Summary

BMW's Neue Klasse i3 completed a 1,213 km Shenyang-Dalian round trip without charging, averaging 8.8 kWh/100 km, as its sixth-generation cylindrical battery entered production in Shenyang. The result was achieved on mixed roads, and it followed a highway test in which other electric sedans fell well short of claimed ranges. BMW plans to expand Neue Klasse models in China and increase local production and exports by 2030.