For InsideEVs: Top BMW Engineer Thinks Li-Ion Batteries Have "Peaked"

The next generation of BMW electric vehicles promises up to 620 miles of range, 30 percent quicker charging, and a cheaper production process that cuts significantly down on carbon emissions – all with lithium-ion EV batteries like the rest of the automotive industry.

One of BMW’s own top battery engineers thinks those days could be numbered, and that without adding something “game-changing” to the mix like silicon, we may be close to the limits of what they can currently do. But he believes lithium-ion batteries will remain the industry standard on a wide scale for many years to come.

“From an energy density point of view, I would say that we’re facing the optimum lithium-ion cell chemistry in an industrialized application” for large markets, said Simon Erhard, the head of energy, performance, and lifetime for BMW’s forthcoming Gen6 batteries. “I think it’s peaked.”

[Read the rest at InsideEVs]