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BMW (XETRA: BMW): All-Solid-State Battery Road Testing & Cell Partnerships
The first automaker to actually drive a true all-solid-state battery on public roads — while insisting it's in no rush to put one in a showroom car.
Who they are
BMW is one of the world's premier premium automakers, headquartered in Munich, with Milan Nedeljković taking over as Chairman of the Board of Management in May 2026, succeeding longtime CEO Oliver Zipse. On battery technology, BMW has explicitly positioned itself as "technology-open" — pursuing solid-state development seriously while continuing to advance its Gen6 round-cell lithium-ion technology for the Neue Klasse model line it's counting on for near-term growth.
What they do
In May 2025, BMW and Solid Power achieved what both companies called the first real-world demonstration of genuine, large-format all-solid-state battery cells in a vehicle — a BMW i7 test mule running on public roads around Munich, combining Gen5 prismatic cell module design with Solid Power's sulfide electrolyte. BMW is explicit that this is different from semi-solid designs some rivals have already put on roads. In October 2025, the partnership expanded into a three-way Joint Evaluation Agreement with Samsung SDI: Solid Power supplies the sulfide electrolyte, Samsung SDI builds and tests complete cells using it, and BMW evaluates the resulting cells toward a joint demonstration vehicle. The BMW-Solid Power relationship itself dates back to 2017, with BMW receiving its first prototype cells for testing in 2021.
How they make money
BMW's revenue is overwhelmingly vehicle sales across its BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce brands, with solid-state battery development representing R&D investment rather than a current product line. BMW executives have been unusually candid that solid-state cells won't reach production cars until around 2030 at the earliest — company battery leadership has previously said the technology "isn't needed" in production EVs until the mid-2030s — making this one of the more openly patient public timelines among automakers in this chain.
Where it sits in the value chain
BMW sits in Automotive OEM Adoption, and is notable in this chain for having achieved the earliest real-world road test of a genuine (not semi-solid) ASSB cell among the automakers tracked here — even while publicly setting one of the latest production timelines. That combination — furthest along in validation, least urgent about commercialization — reflects BMW's stated "technology-open" strategy of proving the chemistry works long before committing to mass production.
The bigger trend
BMW's ASSB strategy is a genuinely interesting contrast case in this chain: it's simultaneously the automaker with the most concrete public proof point (a real ASSB cell actually driving on real roads) and one of the most conservative on timeline (mid-2030s framing for production relevance). Bringing Samsung SDI into the Solid Power relationship in October 2025 also signals something about how this technology gets commercialized — not through a single vertically integrated bet, but through a three-way division of labor between an electrolyte specialist, a cell manufacturer, and an automaker, each contributing what they're best at.
What to watch
- Progress on the Samsung SDI-built demonstration vehicle under the October 2025 three-way agreement, the next concrete milestone after the i7 test mule.
- Whether BMW's production timeline shifts at all as Toyota and other rivals push more aggressive 2027–2028 targets — competitive pressure has moved automaker roadmaps before.
- How new CEO Milan Nedeljković's leadership, beginning May 2026, affects the pace or framing of BMW's next-generation battery strategy relative to Oliver Zipse's approach.
Related companies
FAQ
Has BMW actually driven a solid-state battery car?
Yes. Since May 2025, BMW has road-tested a BMW i7 fitted with genuine, large-format all-solid-state battery cells supplied by Solid Power, operating in the Munich area — one of the first real-world demonstrations of true ASSB cells (as opposed to semi-solid designs) in a vehicle.
When will BMW put solid-state batteries in production cars?
BMW executives have said solid-state cells aren't needed in production EVs until around the mid-2030s, making it one of the more conservative public timelines among automakers pursuing the technology, despite being ahead on real-world road testing.
What's the difference between BMW's Solid Power partnership and its Samsung SDI deal?
Solid Power supplies the sulfide-based solid electrolyte material; under the October 2025 three-way agreement, Samsung SDI now builds and tests complete battery cells using that electrolyte, which BMW then evaluates toward a joint demonstration vehicle. It's a division of labor between an electrolyte specialist, a cell manufacturer, and the automaker.