How BMW made its Neue Klasse electric motor more efficient

BMW [1] expects that a new electric motor produced in-house will boost overall vehicle efficiency by 20 percent in its Neue Klasse-based [2] models.

BMW began series production of the Gen6 e-motor this month at its powertrain plant in Steyr, Austria.

BMW is using new technologies such as silicon carbide semiconductors in the e-motor's inverter.

Picking SiC over traditional silicon results in smaller, lighter, more efficient and more powerful inverters, the automaker said. Advertisement Advertisement

Sign up for the Automotive News Europe Focus on Electrification newsletter, a weekly wrap-up of the latest electric vehicle news, including interviews and global EV sales data.[3]

Because of that upgrade, along with other improvements to the electric powertrain, BMW says the Gen6 system is significantly better than its Gen5 system.

"Energy loss is reduced by 40 percent, costs by 20 percent and weight by 10 percent. All this makes a significant contribution to the approximately 20 percent increase in overall vehicle efficiency," Martin Kaufmann, senior vice president, global powertrain development at BMW, said in a release.

The first model to get the Gen6 system will be the Neue Klasse-based iX3 50 xDrive, which will debut at the IAA Munich auto show next month.

BMW invests EUR1 billion to move Steyr plant into electric era

The rotor, stator and inverter will all be made at the Steyr plant, which for the first time will build powertrains for full-electric vehicles after more than 40 years of developing and manufacturing internal combustion engines for the BMW and Mini brands. Advertisement

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BMW will continue to produce ICEs alongside the electric powertrains at the factory.

In 2024, BMW produced about 1.2 million combustion engines at the facility. It plans to add electric drive capacity of up to 600,000 units across two lines at the Austrian plant.

Between 2022 and 2030, BMW will invest more than EUR1 billion (£1.17 billion) to expand development and production expertise for e-drives at the Steyr facility [4].

BMW is using new technologies such as silicon carbide semiconductors in the e-motor’s inverter.
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pPicking SiC over traditional silicon results in smaller, lighter, more efficient and more powerful inverters, the automaker said.

BMW is using new technologies such as silicon carbide semiconductors in the e-motor's inverter. Picking SiC over traditional silicon results in smaller, lighter, more efficient and more powerful inverters, the automaker said.

About 1,000 Steyr employees will work in the new electric motor assembly area. Up to half of Steyr employees could work on electric mobility tasks by 2030, BMW said.

Neue Klasse cars will use two types of electric motors: XDrive models (ICE-based) will have a compact, less-expensive asynchronous motor on the front axle, while BEVs will use an electrically excited synchronous motor positioned above the rear axle in a module incorporating power electronics and transmission.

A camouflaged prototype of the iX3 full-electric SUV, which will be the first production Neue Klasse model.

BMW's biggest single investment in 109 years

BMW's Neue Klasse technology platform will support roughly 40 new or updated models by 2027.

The iX3 full-electric midsize SUV with the technology will be followed by the full-electric 3 Series sedan and four more full-electric models in 2026 and 2027.

The Neue Klasse represents a fundamental shift in BMW's approach to design, technology and production, encompassing electrification, digitalization and circularity.

The Munich-based carmaker hopes that what it dubs the "start of a new era" will pit it favorably [5] against Chinese competitors and give it a leading edge with full-electric car technology.

"We are 109 years old, and it's by far the biggest single investment into one architecture we've ever done," BMW CEO Oliver Zipse told Bloomberg in an interview.

References

^ BMW (www.autonews.com)
^ Neue Klasse-based (www.autonews.com)
^ Sign up for the Automotive News Europe Focus on Electrification newsletter, a weekly wrap-up of the latest electric vehicle news, including interviews and global EV sales data. (www.autonews.com)
^ e-drives at the Steyr facility (www.autonews.com)
^ pit it favorably (www.autonews.com)