BMW Group and Samsung SDI have announced plans to expand their supply relationship for battery cells for electro-mobility on the back of increased sales of the i3 and i8 models for the first half of the year.
The German giant sold 5396 i3 cars in the first half of this year, out of a total 1.02 million vehicles sold. “Deliveries of the BMW i8 got underway in the main international markets in June,” BMW notes.
The BMW i3 goes on sale in Australia from November with a price tag starting from $63,900, while the i8 will go on sale in Australia early in 2015 with a price tag of $299,000.
Samsung SDI will expand its supply of electric vehicle battery cells for BMW’s cars by at least 20-30% by 2016.
According to Klaus Draeger, member of the board of management of BMW AG, responsible for purchasing and supplier network: “Our partnership with Samsung SDI is a good example of successful Korean-German cooperation on innovative technologies. The battery is a key component in every electric vehicle – since it basically determines the range and performance capabilities of the car.”
Samsung SDI will not only increase its supply for BMW’s i3 and i8 electric cars, but will also start providing for future hybrid models starting with the X5 plug-in hybrid.
Research by Japanese firm B3 predicts that lithium ion batteries will grow to a US$21.3 billion (A$22.7 billion) market by 2020, compared to US$4.4 billion right now. Similarly, sales of hybrids and electric vehicles are expected to reach 5.2 million units by 2020.
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