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After Almost 45 Years of the Last Models with the “Neue Klasse” Platform, BMW Plans to Resume with the Platform for Its Electric Cars and Combustion Engines
BMW last used the Neue Klasse (New Class in German) platform in a series of cars launched between 1962 and 1977. These were models that saved the company from bankruptcy and transformed it into the company it is today. Now the manufacturer has announced that it will present a new Neue Klasse that will serve both electric cars and vehicles with combustion engines.
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The major comeback with the new Neue Klasse is that the vehicles related to the project will be electric cars, in addition to combustion engines, all built on a new modular architecture.
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The first model to debut with the platform will be the electric equivalent of the BMW 3 Series or the electric counterpart of the X3, which may reach the market in 2025. According to information provided by BMW’s own CEO, Oliver Zipse, the big news is the platform. The executive emphasizes that, with this, the German multinational aims to produce perfect electric cars.
According to the CEO, this achievement is being established with the design of the architecture, when asked about how to install an efficient battery in the car, he responds: “Where do you put the transmission system? At the back! But there will also be all-wheel drive, possibly even having a motor on the front axle.” Zipse states that if it is a battery vehicle, the system must be configured completely correctly.
BMW Platform Will Use Recycled Materials
The CEO of BMW also states that the platform will use as many recycled or sustainable materials as possible, which will be easy to recycle when electric cars reach the end of their useful lives. There will also be financial incentives to try to reuse materials, as their costs are slowly rising and the trend is to increase further.
Interestingly, BMW’s new platform may also use internal combustion engines. According to the executive, in the future, the vehicle owner could install other types of combustion engines on the front axle.
The architecture still primarily focuses on battery electric cars. This will provide consumers with better performance in absolute electric driving like any pure electric platform.
Effective Batteries and Autonomous Driving
BMW is currently using fifth-generation batteries in its electric cars, but with the platform, it will also debut its sixth-generation batteries. They will have a higher energy density, an even faster charging capacity, and will require fewer rare earth minerals.
The company states that its solid-state batteries are not expected to be ready to enter the market at the same time as the Neue Klasse electric cars are launched.
According to Zipse, the company recently invested in solid-state technology, and we will soon see the first sales. However, there is a significant difference between a prototype still in testing and industrialization. The new platform will not start with solid-state but with an architecture covering perhaps 15 to 20 years. The chances that the Neue Klasse will eventually have solid-state technology are inevitable.
Graduated in Journalism and Marketing, he is the author of over 20,000 articles that have reached millions of readers in Brazil and abroad. He has written for brands and media outlets such as 99, Natura, O Boticário, CPG – Click Petróleo e Gás, Agência Raccon, among others. A specialist in the Automotive Industry, Technology, Careers (employability and courses), Economy, and other topics. For contact and editorial suggestions: valdemarmedeiros4@gmail.com. We do not accept resumes!
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