The facelifted (Life Cycle Impulse or LCI in BMW speak) G70 BMW 7 Series will be revealed at Auto China in Beijing on April 22, bringing with it a refreshed design already teased last month. Now it’s been confirmed that the electric version, the i7, will gain a new battery developed in partnership with Rimac Technology. Still independent despite the automotive division merging with Bugatti, the Croatian outfit worked with Munich to fit the latter’s latest Gen6 cylindrical cells – which deliver a 20% increase in volumetric energy density over the previous prismatic cells, as seen in the Neue Klasse iX3 and i3 – within the confines of the i7’s existing Gen5 module design. This upgrade not only increases range from the already impressive current WLTP maximum of 624 km, but also makes for faster DC charging, up from 195 kW. However, it isn’t mentioned if the i7 LCI will be built on the iX3 and i3’s 800-volt electrical architecture – enabling charging at up to 400 kW – or remain on a 400-volt system. The batteries will be assembled by Rimac in Croatia before being shipped to BMW’s Dingolfing plant. “We are quickly rolling out the technologies of the Neue Klasse across our entire model portfolio – including in our all-electric luxury sedan. The teams of both companies have developed a tailor-made solution for the new BMW i7,” said BMW’s senior VP of high-voltage storage and charging development Thomas Engelhardt. “The excellent collaboration with Rimac Technology is a good example of European innovative strength.” Rimac Group founder and president Mate Rimac added: “BMW has always been known for pushing engineering to the highest level, which made this collaboration especially exciting for us. Together, we developed a high-voltage battery system that unlocks the full potential of the new cylindrical cells in record time, delivering significant improvements in energy, range, and charging performance. We are proud to now see this system being produced at scale at our new Rimac Campus.” The new battery will be part of a suite of improvements coming for the G70 7 Series, such as an even more imposing face with large angular double kidney grilles. We also expect the car to feature the latest Panoramic iDrive interface, including a pillar-to-pillar Panoramic Vision display at the base of the windscreen. Additionally, it’s been reported that the sedan will spawn the first model from the rejuvenated Alpina sub-brand, now fully owned by BMW. default Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Atome, Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater. Use the promo code 'PAULTAN' when you checkout for 10% discount!