Rimac, BMW Announce EV Battery Partnership

Rimac announces it will supply batteries for the next generation of electric-powered BMW models.

The Croatia-based EV company’s engineering division, Rimac Technology, says in a news release it has agreed to its “largest and most ambitious project to date” with the German automaker.

Details of the agreement, including the specific type of batteries and financial terms, are yet to be made public. However, Rimac confirms the deal will require it to equip its battery-manufacturing facilities in Zagreb with “sophisticated automated production lines,” indicating it will supply BMW with fully assembled battery packs, possibly for future electric-powered M performance models.

BMW is yet to reveal how the agreement with Rimac will affect its existing battery supply activities.

The automaker sources batteries for its electric and plug-in hybrid models from four sites globally. They are located in North America, China, Hungary and Mexico. A fifth BMW battery manufacturing site is under construction in Germany.

BMW has confirmed models based on its dedicated Neue Klasse EV platform will use new cylindrical cells, replacing the prismatic cells currently used in its electric and plug-in hybrid models.

Rimac is yet to confirm if the supply deal will draw on BMW’s new cylindrical cell technology or whether it will provide its own unique battery solution.

In announcing the tie-up, Rimac founder and CEO Mate Rimac says: “My business journey began with a 1984 BMW 3-Series that I converted into an electric car in my garage at the age of 20, so it’s a perfect piece of symmetry to partner with the BMW Group.”

Rimac is a majority shareholder in Bugatti Rimac, a joint venture between the Rimac Group and Porsche established in 2021. Bugatti Rimac is the owner of Bugatti Automobiles.