BMW iX Electric SUV with 700-mile range thanks to ONE’s Dual-Chemistry battery tech

BMW has teamed up with Our Next Energy (ONE) to fit their Gemini dual-Chemistry battery in the BMW iX, promising a 700-mile range.

With electric cars, we’ve probably now moved from range anxiety to charging anxiety as most EVs now have sufficient range for almost everyone’s reasonable needs, but the less than reliable public charging network still disturbs potential EV buyers.

So we’re not entirely sure that what’s needed is greater range for EVs by chucking ever-bigger batteries in to the mix, but rather more reliable charging stations which always work and are plentiful.

That said, if car makers – and, more pertinently, battery makers – can come up with a way of delivering more juice in the same sort of space and weight then that has to be a plus. Step forward Our Next Energy (ONE) and BMW, who are testing ONE’s dual-chemistry batteries in the BMW iX.

One says that their dual battery chemistry – with one part of the battery pack for power delivery and the other for energy storage – will give the iX xDrive 50 a range of over 600 miles. But that’s on EPA figures so that will be over 700 miles on WLTP figures. It will also reduce lithium use by 20 per cent and graphite by 60 per cent. Which all sounds very useful.

BMW’s Jürgen Hildinger said:

We are well-positioned to incorporate ONE’s IP into BMW’s SAV line. We are confident that given economic viability, this can lead to commercial opportunities and strategies to integrate ONE’s battery technologies into models of our future BEV product line-up.

BMW and ONE plan to complete testing of the new battery in the iX by the end of 2022.

BMW iX with 700-mile ONE battery video