BMW and Rimac, a Croatian electric vehicle manufacturer, have announced a partnership to work together on high-voltage electric vehicle battery technology. The collaboration aims to challenge the dominance of Asian manufacturers in this field and increase BMW’s presence in the EV market.
Rimac is known for producing electric hypercars and has expanded its operations to become a supplier of battery systems and powertrain components to other automakers. The company aims to produce 100,000 batteries per year between 2024 and 2026.
Premium EV startups like Lucid are also exploring opportunities to sell their electric drive technology to other automakers like Aston Martin. Rimac’s CEO, Mate Rimac, previously announced that an undisclosed German carmaker would utilize a Rimac battery system in a high-performance model expected to have an annual production volume of around 40,000 units starting this year.
BMW did not disclose specific details about the batteries or models that will be developed through the partnership with Rimac, but it excludes the cylindrical batteries powering the upcoming ‘Neue Klasse’ EV line, set to go into production in 2025. BMW achieved an all-electric sales share of 15% last year and aims to increase that figure to 50% well before 2030. The German automaker has its own battery cell research center but has relied on partners like CATL and EVE Energy to produce battery cells on a large scale in China and Europe.
