BMW and CATL Disclose New Generation Battery Cooperation Details During November 5 Visit

On November 5, BMW's New Generation supplier media visit event was held at CATL. Ge Xiaoming, Chief Engineer of the BMW Project in CATL's European Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, introduced that BMW requires that when thermal runaway occurs in the battery, the steel-shell cylindrical cell casing that is the first to trigger thermal runaway must not be damaged. CATL accepted this standard and, led by senior company executives, completed more than 3,000 sets of iterative real-world tests. The closure of this issue caused the project schedule to be delayed by more than three months. Ge Xiaoming stated that four or five years ago, BMW proposed bottom ball impact and side impact standards as well as sealing requirements. The development cycle for the New Generation lithium iron phosphate battery pack is four to five years, and the finished product weighs less than the industry average for similar products, which is above 600 kilograms. The 4695 specification for large cylindrical batteries was determined by BMW based on comprehensive dimensions including vehicle chassis height, safety, and thermal runaway. Lin Guoxin, BMW Project Manager in CATL's European Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, stated that the ramp-up speed of the second production line was accelerated by three months compared with the conventional cycle. Chen Jun, BMW Customer Director in CATL's European Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, stated that many members of the earliest BMW project team have now become heads of various company departments. Ge Xiaoming said that CATL has given priority to the BMW project in both R&D resources and capacity allocation.