SHENYANG, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- German carmaker BMW on Friday said that it expects to begin mass producing its sixth-generation electric vehicle (EV) batteries, which use large cylindrical battery cells, in China in 2026.

BMW is currently working with Chinese suppliers, including CATL and EVE Energy, to advance the mass production of the new batteries.

At the end of 2024, BMW launched the pilot production of the new-generation batteries at its manufacturing base in Shenyang, the capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province. The batteries will be used in a new car model for the first time this year.

They use a new 800V technology that can extend a vehicle's driving range by 300 kilometers with a 10-minute charge. Improvements also include a 20 percent greater energy density, a 30 percent faster charging speed and a 30 percent increase in driving range, with certain models achieving even higher figures.

BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., BMW's China joint venture in Shenyang, is the first joint-venture automaker in China to establish an EV battery center and a closed-loop recycling system for EV batteries.

Since 2017, BMW's cumulative investment in EV battery production and R&D facilities in China has exceeded 14 billion yuan (1.95 billion U.S. dollars). Since 2010, the cumulative investment in BMW's Shenyang production base, its largest production base worldwide, has reached 105 billion yuan. ■