BMW to test long-range battery made by Michigan-based startup in its electric SUV
ONE's long-range Gemini battery is designed to cut down on the use of traditional electric vehicle battery materials
BMW will test a long-range battery made by Michigan-based startup Our Next Energy in the car manufacturer's iX electric SUV, the companies announced Tuesday.
ONE's Gemini battery will use two types of battery cells, including one featuring advanced chemistry that can store more energy and enable vehicle range of at least 600 miles between charges, the company said.
An electric-powered BMW iX. (BMW)
The prototype automobile is expected to be finished by the end of the fiscal year, ONE said.
The Gemini battery looks to cut down on the use of traditional electric vehicle battery materials like cobalt, nickel, graphite and lithium, ONE founder and CEO Mujeeb Ijaz said.
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Ijaz said ONE is testing a range of different electrode chemistries in Gemini while also analyzing possible tradeoffs in cost, energy and sustainability.
ONE may offer a production version of the battery in three varying sizes and prices. This would include a low-end version costing the equivalent, or potentially lower, as nickel- and cobalt-based batteries, Ijaz said.
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A BMW iX Flow with color-shifting material is displayed during CES 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 6, 2022. (REUTERS/Steve Marcus / Reuters Photos)
The battery maker is talking to other companies about similar prototype testing of its Gemini battery.
BMW's corporate venture department in March led a $65 million funding round in the battery company. The round's other investors included Coatue Management, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Assembly Ventures, Flex and Volta Energy Technologies.
ONE said in December that an early prototype of the Gemini battery modified in a Tesla Model S offered more than 750 miles of range, significantly more than the best production electric vehicles on the market.
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The logo of German car manufacturer BMW is pictured on a BMW car prior to the earnings press conference in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, March 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader / AP Images)
After ONE was founded in 2020, the company has centered its attention on a long-range battery that uses safer and more sustainable materials while also putting more energy into a smaller, cheaper package.
BMW executive Juergen Hildinger said in a statement that the automaker is looking for opportunities "to integrate ONE's battery technologies into models of our future BEV (battery electric vehicle) product lineup."
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Reuters contributed to this report.