BMW Will Not Let Electrification Affect Vehicle Design

One constraint that electric vehicles have is that their design will be affected by the need to accommodate size and position of the batteries. BMW has decided that its electrified models will look as good as its conventional models. The company is currently in the process of developing different kinds of battery cells for the different types of electric cars that it is planning to produce.

BMW will use different types of battery cells in its SUVs and in its electrified coupes and sedans based on their design and the desired center of gravity for the model. Generally, coupes sit lower to the ground than SUVs and crossovers.
At the moment, BMW does not have plans to produce make batteries inhouse, but it does have a battery technology facility for the purpose of developing designs of battery cells and control software. By 2021, when it is planning to launch the fifth phase of its electrification strategy and its flagship electric vehicle, the i9, BMW has ambitious plans to have multi-sized lithium ion cells to fit its different models.

In 2021, BMW will debut a slew of new electrified and conventional models, based on two new platforms. While FAAR will serve as the platform that will underpin front-wheel-drive and AWD cars, an updated version of the CLAR architecture will be used for the RWD vehicles. To go with the two new platforms, there will be three different battery packs, ranging from 60 kilowatt hour to 120 kWh, with their ranges varying from 280 miles (450 kilometers) to 435 miles (700 km).