BMW announced on Thursday that its sixth-generation (Gen 6) high-voltage batteries had entered mass production in Shenyang, Liaoning province, while unveiling test results showing its long-wheelbase Neue Klasse i3 traveled 1,213 km without recharging.
The German luxury carmaker is rolling out its Neue Klasse electric vehicle platform in China, using local production and technology partnerships to support a new round of product launches.
The vehicle that completed the challenge was the Neue Klasse BMW i3 50L, the company said in an official statement today, describing it as an electric endurance champion.
The test covered expressways, national highways, rural roads and urban streets, with the vehicle reaching its destination with 1% charge remaining. It was equipped with a 113.4-kWh battery and recorded combined energy consumption of 8.8 kWh per 100 km.
The 1,213-km figure represents BMW's result from a specific road test, rather than a certified range under a standardized testing cycle. BMW said it was the longest distance any of its battery electric vehicles had traveled on a single charge.
The Gen 6 battery project in Shenyang involves an investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.49 billion) and a planned floor area of 240,000 square meters, about 5 times the size of its existing battery production facilities.
Construction began in May 2023. The project combines large cylindrical cells with battery system integration, an 800-volt architecture and sixth-generation electric drive technology to support Neue Klasse models.
Following Debrecen, Hungary, and Ilbach-Straßkirchen, Germany, Shenyang has become the third location in the global Gen 6 battery network.
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