BMW to Use SB LiMotive Batteries

03 August, 2009 07:04:00

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BMW will use SB LiMotive lithium-ion battery cells to power its â€˜Megacity Vehicleâ€™ project, an electric car due in the first half of the next decade.

BMW currently is testing the e-car within its project 'Megacity Vehicle' in locations in the USA, Great Britain and Germany.

"The decision is a major milestone along the way to serial production of the Megacity Vehicle. The battery is a key component in any electric vehicle - it determines the range and performance of the car. With SB LiMotive we found a supplier that can provide the best technology available," said BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer.

The first outcome of BMW's project is the MINI E: this purely electric vehicle is currently the focus of a large-scale field test involving some 600 vehicles in the US, Great Britain and Germany. Insights gained during this field test will be just as essential to the serial development of both the Megacity Vehicle and the battery technology. The zero-emissions vehicle will go into serial production in the first half of the next decade.

"Between now and 2013, we will invest 500 million US dollars in the development and manufacturing of lithium-ion cells and battery systems for hybrid and electric cars," said Young Woo Park, President of SB LiMotive.

The joint venture company between Samsung SDI and Bosch, which acquired 100 percent of US battery maker Cobasys, expects to see some three million electric cars and plug-in hybrids as well as six million hybrid vehicles out of one hundred million newly produced vehicles in 2020.

SB LiMotive combines the respective expertise of Samsung's in lithium ion batteries and Bosch in automotive technology.

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