Interview with Dr Juliane Kluge, BMW
“Industry Collaboration and Internal R&D are Decisive”
Dr Juliane Kluge has served, among other roles, as the Head of R&D High Performance Components and Concepts Electric Drive at BMW UK.
BMW Group
How can OEMs balance cost, performance, and sustainability in battery development? Dr. Juliane Kluge, Head of Cell Chemistry and Methods at BMW, shares insights ahead of her keynote at the Automotive Battery Conference 2025.
With more than two decades of experience at BMW, Dr Juliane Kluge has shaped the company’s approach to sustainability, electric drive systems, and most notably battery cell innovation. Since June 2024, she has been working on next-generation cell concepts at the strategic core of the company.
In the lead-up to her keynote “Automotive Perspective on Next Generation Battery Cell Technology” at the Automotive Battery Conference, we spoke with Dr Kluge about BMW’s technical roadmap, the push toward higher energy density, material trade-offs, and the need for closed-loop sustainability strategies. The interview reveals how BMW plans to stay at the forefront of battery technology in an increasingly competitive landscape.
ADT: What performance factors are most critical in optimising lithium-ion batteries for next-generation automotive applications?
Dr Kluge: As we face increasing requirements for battery cells regarding customer expectations and to comply with stricter regulations, the primary challenge in developing future battery cells at BMW is to optimally balance technical requirements, ensure cost efficiency, and address critical factors such as geopolitical resilience and sustainability. The optimisation of lithium-ion batteries for next-generation automotive applications has primarily focused on increasing energy density, a factor that directly influences the electrical range of vehicles. With the launch of the 6th generation of BMW eDrive Technology (GEN 6) in the Neue Klasse, set for the end of this year, BMW has achieved a significant technological advancement by offering up to 30% higher charging speed based on the new 800V technology and around 30% more electrical range, in some models even more. This development enables top-tier vehicles to achieve ranges comparable to those of petrol vehicles.
How is BMW’s battery design evolving to support this shift? The new BMW cylindrical cell has a 20% greater energy density than its predecessor, the Gen5 prismatic battery cell. The cylindrical cells will be integrated directly into the high-voltage battery (“cell-to-pack”), allowing the high-voltage battery to take on the role of a structural component in the bodies of the Neue Klasse models (“pack-to-open-body”) in addition to its key function of energy storage. This architecture allows for a flatter design, facilitating flexible integration into applications across all our vehicle segments and overall achieves, with this approach, a higher cost efficiency. We observe a trend in which the focus of development is shifting towards enhancing fast-charging capabilities to further meet customer expectations. However, increasing these fast-charging capabilities requires actively managing associated challenges, such as the risk of lithium plating and heat generation within the cells, to ensure their longevity while increasing system complexity.
What about sustainability—how does that factor into your battery strategy?
Sustainability is a vital consideration in battery technology. BMW is dedicated to ensuring the recyclability of batteries and is actively developing sustainable materials and processes to minimise environmental impact. This includes building local value chains and reducing geopolitical risks. In the long term, the BMW Group is pursuing a closed-loop approach, recovering cobalt, nickel, and lithium from used batteries to reintegrate these materials into the supply chain for new batteries. This strategy enhances efficiency and resilience within the circular economy. Promoting the circular economy is a strategic goal for the BMW Group, encompassing the development of recyclable products and increasing the use of secondary materials.
What are the biggest chemical or design challenges when developing future battery cells at BMW?
Considering our diverse vehicle segments, which range from premium high-performance models with extended ranges to entry-level vehicles aimed at more cost-sensitive customers who value the joy of driving, the following paths for the further development of battery cells need to be considered: To date, improvements in cell energy density have primarily been achieved by utilising cathode active materials based on mixed-layered oxide materials containing nickel, manganese, and cobalt (NMC). By increasing the nickel content to over 90% to maximise the capacity of these materials, the upper limit is reached. Further enhancements in cell energy density are driven by incorporating silicon into the graphite-based anode. Currently, the silicon content in state-of-the-art automotive cells is below 10%. Efforts to significantly increase the share beyond 10% have been ongoing; however, the challenges—particularly regarding the negative impact on lifetime and increased swelling at the cell level, with implications for system integration—still need to be addressed for large-series automotive applications.
How does BMW address the trade-off between cost and performance?
Cost-effectiveness is another crucial driver for the development of future cell technologies by substituting the most expensive component of cell chemistry: cobalt and high nickel-containing cathode material. For attractive cell energy densities, one can consider low-cost but high-voltage-type materials such as NMC with a mid-range nickel content (approximately 60-70%) and an increased share of manganese, or another material class being manganese-rich (LMR) cathode materials, as well as LMNO, a spinel-structured cathode material. The full potential of energy density of these materials is achieved by increasing the cut-off voltage of the cell. However, this requires the development of highly tailored electrolytes to mitigate complex ageing mechanisms, in addition to balancing the cell's power performance.
Where do LFP and similar chemistries currently stand in this trade-off?
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is on the lower end of the energy density spectrum. Even though LFP cells have approximately 50% less energy density than those with high-nickel NMC, this cathode material offers significant cost advantages and is well-established with high market penetration. However, due to its relatively low specific volumetric and gravimetric capacity, careful evaluation is necessary to determine if the resulting energy at the pack level meets specific vehicle performance requirements. Advanced materials with manganese content, such as lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), can enhance capacity but come with higher costs and challenges in meeting lifetime requirements. Sodium-ion cell technology currently exhibits energy density levels significantly below those of LFP. However, it is worth monitoring its development, as it is currently of interest for stationary applications and potentially for automotive use. It still needs to significantly improve its energy density to reach levels comparable to LFP technology. Furthermore, the innovation of All-Solid-State Batteries (ASSB) has the potential to maximise energy density by utilising a lithium metal anode with zero excess lithium. However, there are numerous technical challenges that still need to be addressed.
What are the critical risks when working with lithium metal anodes?
Specifically, the implementation of a lithium metal anode presents challenges such as significant volume expansion, an unstable interface, chemo-mechanical stress, and the risk of lithium dendrite growth. Despite these challenges, this technology offers the potential for high intrinsic safety and reduced thermal management requirements, potentially allowing for the elimination of certain safety and cooling measures at the pack level. The timeline for ASSB market entry for large-series automotive applications will depend on how competitive it is compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries; specifically, ASSB should therefore demonstrate a superior function-to-cost ratio, which still requires validation.
How do industry collaboration and internal R&D shape your long-term cell strategy?
Industry collaboration and internal research and development (R&D) are decisive in shaping BMW's long-term battery cell strategy. Establishing a robust network of partnerships with academic institutions, startups, and industrial players is essential for accessing the latest innovations in battery technology. One pillar of the BMW strategy on battery cells is the intense series development together with our cell suppliers. We define the next generation of cells for our vehicles based on our deep competence, and our cell suppliers industrialise them. This allows us to choose new partners with every cell generation and benefit from their innovations and cost potential. Moreover, large cell suppliers, which serve larger overall volumes, can use economies of scale and thus better optimise the entire value chain.
And what is the second pillar?
The second pillar of our strategy is the in-house competence for which we have built a dedicated organisation since 2012, which goes far beyond focused series development. This is the Battery Cell Competence Centre (BCCC). Here, we focus on the fundamental understanding of battery cell technology, evaluate innovations, and drive BMW's in-house cell development, starting from small lab cells to evaluate innovative battery materials up to designing and producing prototype cylindrical cells. Subsequently, in our pilot plant, the Cell Manufacturing Competence Centre (CMCC), we focus on understanding and optimising the processes of cell manufacturing on a gigawatt scale. A cell design can only be as good as the implemented manufacturing process. In the rapidly evolving R&D landscape of the automotive industry, establishing a global network of academic, startup, and industrial partners is crucial to identify and access the latest innovations. At BMW, we work closely with our technology offices in the US, Korea, Japan, and China, which serve as our eyes and ears to the world, providing us with invaluable insights and access to cutting-edge developments. Our collaboration approach is tailored to the specific needs and maturity of the technology. We initially request samples for evaluation and benchmarking at our BCCC. If the potential is deemed promising, we expand the partnership to a joint development agreement. Additionally, we actively participate in publicly funded pre-development projects, which not only contribute to the technical results but also provide our SME and academic partners with a deeper understanding of the R&D processes driving an OEM.
