BMW

BMW is accelerating its electric vehicle production plans, announcing an € 800 million (about $864 million) investment to prepare its San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico for the incoming wave of next-generation Neue Klasse EVs.

Italian legacy automaker Alfa Romeo recently outlined details of its upcoming all-electric segment in which its CEO said it intends to bolster sales in North America, expressing the need to “transfer the concept of performance” to its EVs. To do so, however, Alfa Romeo believes it needs something bigger and all-electric to attract US consumers, stating that it’s working on an SUV to compete with the BMW X5.

Climate activists across three different social awareness groups have banded together to post over 400 irreverent billboards across Europe, using subvertising tactics to expose automakers like Toyota and BMW for promoting zero-carbon BEVs while simultaneously lobbying to keep combustion vehicles on roads for decades to come. The goal of these billboards is to not only spotlight the harsh truth, but to call local governments into action to ban ads that promote combustion vehicles.

After previewing some of the technology on its “Neue Klasse” EV platform at CES last week, BMW’s CEO Oliver Zipse is not mixing words when speaking about the German automaker’s future in the EV market. Zipse was as bold to say that BMW’s next wave of EVs will be the industry benchmark in range, charging speeds, and pricing. Forgive us if you’ve heard this one before.

Following a production year riddled with supply chain constraints, chip shortages, and a war in Ukraine, German automakers BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen Group still saw significant growth in EV sales. Conversely, combustion vehicle sales continue to drop due to the reasons above, in addition to more and more drivers joining the green side.

This morning, Solid Power announced that long-time investor BMW Group is expanding an existing joint development agreement to license its technology in order to build its own solid-state batteries in Germany. Under the agreement, BMW will gain access to Solid Power’s battery research and development, cell design, and manufacturing expertise to expedite the technology alongside its partner. That being said, Solid Power isn’t licensing all of its technology.

Bumps in the road can be annoying, and if you don’t see them in time, they can do some serious damage. But what if when you drove over a bump, your electric vehicle could harness that energy and convert it to usable electricity? BMW is building a new suspension system designed to do just that.

BMW is not well known for having cost-effective vehicles. However, according to the German luxury automaker’s CEO, Oliver Zipse, BMW will not abandon the lower-priced auto segment as it enters a new electric era.

Despite lingering supply chain bottlenecks disrupting the global auto industry, the BMW Group achieved record revenue in Q3 as sales and demand for its electric vehicles continue propelling the German luxury automaker forward.

After releasing plans to scale EV and battery production in the US, BMW announced Thursday it would also be adding a new battery assembly line and new cell varnishing lines at its plant in Leipzig, Germany. The luxury automaker says the batteries will be used for its fully electric Mini Countryman crossover.

In the latest announcement from an automaker to expand electric vehicle manufacturing in the US, BMW released Wednesday it will invest $1.7 billion in its US EV operations to boost output.

BMW is going to cease all production of electric Minis in the UK and build them in China and Germany instead.

BMW Group has announced a partnership with gaming platform AirConsole to implement “casual” video game options into the curved displays of new BMW vehicles. The games will exist within BMW’s infotainment system and allow drivers and their passengers to use their smartphones as controllers.

BMW of North America established a new quarterly benchmark in the third quarter, delivering 4,337 battery electric vehicles. The automaker is expanding its EV portfolio, expecting to boost sales even further with the BMW i7, set to arrive at US dealerships in the fourth quarter.

BMW is the latest automaker suggesting a wave of EV buyers is expected to hit the market in the coming year. The German automaker’s CFO, Nickolas Peter, said in a video conference Monday he expects pure electric vehicle sales to reach 400,000 next year as demand continues building and supply chains ease.

You won’t want to miss this one. BMW Middle East released a video teasing a new electric dune taxi that looks as if it came straight out of Mad Max. The Dune Taxi electric prototype is shown racing across the streets and sand dunes in Abu Dhabi.

To show the German automaker is all in on its climate goals, BMW says it will use recycled fishing nets in its NEUE KLASSE (“new class” in English, referring to BMW’s new electric power train) set to launch in 2025.

BMW Group has come out and publicly stated that its future success in a competitive EV market relies heavily on “powerful, innovative, and sustainably produced” battery cells. When BMW’s Neue Klasse (new class) EV architecture launches in 2025, the German automaker says the EV platforms will utilize newly developed 46-mm-diameter battery cells, the same larger design Tesla is using.

BMW is reportedly going to adopt Tesla’s 4680 battery format with supply from EVE, a battery supplier that is also looking to supply Tesla.

BMW M, the German automaker’s high-performance car unit, is testing a new electric “M Series” EV concept. The infamous BMW M team is working on an electric car to add to its line of top-performing vehicles.

Automakers Ford, GM, and BMW are announcing a new managed EV charging pilot program with SMUD, the sixth-largest not-for-profit electric service provider.