Rimac Technology and the BMW Group today announced the first production car resulting from their technological partnership established in 2023, whose world premiere is planned at the Auto China 2026 fair in Beijing on April 22.
The new BMW i7 will be the BMW Group’s first fully electric car with a jointly developed battery system, which combines the BMW Group’s Gen6 4695 lithium-ion cylindrical cell technology with their Gen5 module-based technology, in a scalable architecture developed by Rimac Technology.
Complete supply chain
In just a few years, Rimac Technology developed a new battery system, built a completely new production facility, industrialized two full production lines and established an “end-to-end” supply chain, capable of meeting the demanding quality and quantity standards demanded by a global premium car manufacturer. About 200 employees, mostly engineers, have been working on battery development at the plant in Jankomir for three years, and more than 100 more people are planned to be hired for serial production.
The battery system is jointly developed with BMW and produced at the Rimac Campus near Zagreb, a purpose-built complex and one of the largest industrial projects of its kind in Europe. The production space dedicated to this program covers 15,000 m² within a 90,000 m² facility, in which 70% of the capacity is dedicated to the production of battery systems for several programs of global car manufacturers.
From the very beginning, the campus was designed precisely for such programs – complex, highly specified and high-volume production of batteries for the world’s leading automotive brands. Rimac Technology thus gets the infrastructure, flexibility and scale needed to be a reliable Tier 1 partner at the highest level of the industry.
Partner statements
Mate Rimacfounder and president of Rimac Group and CEO and CTO of Bugatti Rimac, said on this occasion: “BMW has always been known for pushing engineering excellence to the highest level, which made this collaboration particularly exciting for us. Together we have developed a high-voltage battery system that exploits the full potential of the new cylindrical cells in record time, bringing significant improvements in energy, range and charging performance. We are proud to see that system in series production at our new Rimac Campus.”
Nurdin PitarevicCEO, Rimac Technology adds: “This collaboration with BMW represents an important step forward in electric vehicle technology. Together we have developed advanced battery technology for the BMW i7, which brings exceptional performance, efficiency and reliability. What makes this partnership special is BMW’s engineering excellence and the way they approach the collaboration – they treat Rimac Technology not just as a supplier, but as a true technology partner. I believe this is an excellent example of how global car manufacturers and technology companies should work together in the future.”
Thomas EngelhardtSenior Vice President of High Voltage Battery and Charging Development, BMW Group: “We are extremely fast introducing Neue Klasse technologies to our entire model portfolio – including, of course, our all-electric luxury sedan. The development teams of both companies have created a customized solution for the new BMW i7 in an extremely short time frame. The excellent cooperation with Rimac Technology is a strong example of European innovative strength.”