Rimac and BMW Announce Partnership on EV Batteries. Rimac declares that it will provide batteries for the upcoming iteration of BMW vehicles powered by electricity.
The engineering division of the Croatian electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, Rimac Technology, has announced in a press release that it and the German automaker have reached an agreement on their “most extensive and daring undertaking to date.”
The agreement’s particulars, such as the battery types and financial parameters, have not yet been disclosed to the public. Rimac affirms, nonetheless, that the agreement will necessitate the installation of “advanced automated production lines” at its battery manufacturing facilities in Zagreb. This suggests that the company will potentially provide BMW with completely assembled battery packs, potentially for forthcoming electric-powered M performance models.
BMW has not yet disclosed the manner in which the Rimac agreement will impact its current battery supply operations.
Battery sourcing for the automaker’s electric and plug-in hybrid models occurs at four locations worldwide. Mexico, China, North America, and Hungary are where they are situated. In Germany, a fifth BMW battery manufacturing facility is currently under construction.
BMW has confirmed that its electric and plug-in hybrid models built upon its Neue Klasse EV platform will be equipped with cylindrical cells as opposed to the prismatic cells that are presently in use.
Rimac has not yet determined whether the supply agreement will utilize BMW’s newly developed cylindrical cell technology or whether it will develop an exclusive battery solution.
“My business journey began with a 1984 BMW 3-Series that I converted into an electric car in my garage at the age of 20, so it’s a perfect piece of symmetry to partner with the BMW Group,” says Rimac founder and CEO Mate Rimac in announcing the partnership.
Rimac holds the dominant stake in Bugatti Rimac, a 2021-established joint venture between the Rimac Group and Porsche. Bugatti Automobiles is under the ownership of Bugatti Rimac.