BMW’s next generation car architecture is just around the corner. In 2023, we will get a first glimpse at the Neue Klasse, the EV-centric platform being engineered in Munich as we speak. The year will kick off at CES in Vegas where BMW will preview a new car concept hinting at a future design language. Then later in the year, a new concept car – based on Neue Klasse – will be unveiled at the Munich Auto Show.
Leading up to the Neue Klasse start of communication, BMW has recently hosted an Innovation & Sustainability Day in Germany where several electric topics were discussed. Among them – the new EV platform and its battery cell tech. Frank Weber, BMW’s chief technology officer, met with media to discuss the company’s future electric car plans. The first topic on the agenda were the future round cells supplied by EVE, CATL and Nortvolt which will maximize power, increase the range and slower degradation.
According to Weber, the new 800V system with a fast charger will increase the electric range by 30 miles for every minute of charging. Additionally, the new car platform can accommodate single, dual or quad synchronous SSM motors, with the latter being currently tested by the M Division. When it comes to the power output, according to Car Magazine, it will allegedly start at around 270 horsepower and go as high as 1340 hp. I’t unclear whether these figures came from Weber’s interview
In our own interview with the BMW CTO, we learned that the Neue Klasse architecture can sustain power outputs as high as 1 megawatt (1341 hp), but he stopped shortly of confirming that figure in a production series BMW. We do expect though cars like the future M3 and M4 to deliver a power output starting in the 600+ hp range, with more power being reserved for larger M cars.
Will we see one day a BMW M car with over 1,000 horsepower? It’s possible, but BMW seems to prioritize, for now, the best efficiency versus top power output. Battery packs are rumored to range from 75 kWh up to 150 kWh, and possible more in the distant future. As we approach the 2025 deadline for Neue…
