BMW adds Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution to Gen6 cell supply

BMW has contracted Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution to supply additional cells for its sixth-generation high-voltage batteries. Samsung SDI will supply from established European plants and LG Energy Solution from existing US production, with deliveries under both arrangements expected to start in the late 2020s.

Samsung SDI joins CATL and EVE Energy in BMW’s plans for cells manufactured in Europe. The US nomination follows the same principle of sourcing cells close to where batteries and vehicles are assembled. BMW has built five Gen6 battery assembly sites near vehicle plants in Germany, Hungary, China, the US and Mexico. The announcements concern the cell supply feeding that network; they do not describe new battery assembly facilities or say which vehicle programmes each supplier will serve.

Cell sourcing and pack design are related but separate decisions. A pack’s mechanical layout, cooling and battery management are developed around the characteristics of its cells. Even when two suppliers serve the same generation of vehicle platform, the sourcing announcement alone does not establish that their cells can be exchanged in a pack. BMW has given the regions and expected delivery period for the additional supply without specifying contract volumes or the cells covered by the nominations.

BMW also runs its own cell development and validation operations. It evaluates cell technologies at its competence centre in Munich and produces and tests near-series cells at the Cell Manufacturing Competence Centre in Parsdorf.

Sources: BMW Group supply-chain announcement.