BMW's 'Neue Klasse' electric cars will be 20 per cent more efficient than now

BMW's managed to increase the efficiency of its next-generation electric powertrain by 20 per cent versus what's on sale today. As Daft Punk didn't say in their 2001 electro-pop hit, the Neue Klasse series powertrains will be (energy) denser, lighter, faster and smaller.

For starters, the new 800V system's batteries are now cylindrical, stepping away from the prismatic ones of Gen5. The tubes are slimmer and instead of being shuttered into modules that sit in a pack, the cells go straight into the pack meaning even more of them fit.

Plus, said batteries are 20 per cent more energy dense. Together, these changes mean BMW has been able to deliver on its 2023 promise of 30 per cent greater range – probably more in certain models (though it doesn't elaborate).

The promised 30 per cent faster charging speeds have also been achieved, as part of improvements made to the central control unit developed in-house. Also known as the BMW Energy Master, it's responsible for better heat management, and is capable of remotely updating to keep the system secure and connected.

We're told there's going to be bi-directional charging capabilities built in as standard, too. That'll mean your Neue Klasse will become a big, fat power bank for your house in time and maybe make you some coin, shipping energy back to the grid when needed.

Elsewhere, the EESM main motor – electrically excited as opposed to magnetically so – features new fancier silicon carbide semiconductors to boost efficiency. Mindful of saving space, the carmaker's integrated the EESM inverter into the housing, and opted to integrate a secondary asynchronous motor (ASM) onto the front axle of all Neue Klasse models with four-wheel-drive (dubbed 'xDrive' in BMWSpeak), resulting in much compact-ness.

Overall, this Gen6 system loses 40 per cent less energy than Gen5, as well as being 10 per cent lighter. How all this will play out in the forthcoming electric SUV and electric 3 Series-esque saloon is a lesson in holding one's (electric) horses.