The BMW Group has entered into a cooperation with Croatia’s Rimac Technology to equip the new all‑electric BMW i7 with advanced battery systems. This collaboration focuses on integrating BMW’s in‑house developed Gen6 technology into the flagship electric sedan, aiming to deliver superior range and faster charging capabilities.

At the heart of this project is the Gen6 lithium‑ion cylindrical cell, specifically the 4695 format, which offers a 20 percent higher volumetric energy density than the prismatic cells used in the previous Gen5 system. By combining the Gen6 cell technology with the established Gen5 module design, the high‑voltage battery enables a significantly increased driving range for the BMW i7. Additionally, the new setup boosts charging capacity and cuts charging time, greatly benefiting customers. The world premiere of this model is scheduled for 22 April at Auto China 2026 in Beijing.

Rimac Technology, a Tier 1 supplier within the Rimac Group, produces these high‑voltage batteries using state‑of‑the‑art equipment at its Croatian facility. The batteries are then delivered ready for assembly to the BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, the sole production site for the BMW 7 Series. Known for its in‑house development of battery systems, e‑axles, electronics and software, Rimac offers highly customisable electrification solutions. This long‑term partnership with BMW marks Rimac’s evolution from a niche supercar supplier to a Tier 1 provider for high‑volume vehicle projects.

Dr Thomas Engelhardt, Senior VP Development High-Voltage Storage and Charging, BMW Group, said, "We are quickly rolling out the technologies of the Neue Klasse across our entire model portfolio – including, of course, in our all-electric luxury sedan. The teams of both companies have developed a tailor-made solution for the new BMW i7. The excellent collaboration with Rimac Technology is a good example of European innovative strength."

Mate Rimac, Founder and President, Rimac Group, CEO and CTO Bugatti Rimac, said, “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.”

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L&T Technology Services (LTTS), a leading engineering research & development (ER&D) company, has concluded its Engineering Intelligence (EI) OpenHack 2026, an innovation challenge held simultaneously across nine locations in India, the US and Europe. The event involved nearly 4,000 engineers across 770 teams.

Participants worked on over 500 challenge statements related to software-defined mobility, plant modernisation, energy, automation and AI infrastructure. The solutions developed during the 24-hour event focused on areas such as industrial automation, cybersecurity, autonomous systems and healthcare.

A jury evaluated the entries based on innovation, technical execution, scalability and relevance. The winning teams received prizes totalling over INR 3 million. Promising projects were selected for further development through the company’s Project Equinox platform and patent-worthy concepts were identified for intellectual property recognition.

Mritunjay Kumar Singh, Chief Operating Officer, L&T Technology Services, said, “The EI OpenHack 2026 reflects LTTS’ vision of Engineering Intelligence, where engineering expertise and AI come together to solve real-world industry challenges. What stood out was not only the scale of participation, but the ability of our engineers to apply contextual understanding, domain knowledge and AI prowess to develop solutions with tangible business relevance. Initiatives like OpenHack create opportunities for our talent to experiment, collaborate and develop solutions that will shape the future of engineering.”

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Renault India has entered a partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to conduct vehicle research and development. The collaboration will see Renault India use the National Wind Tunnel Facility (NWTF) at the institute for aerodynamic and wind-noise testing of its vehicles.

The NWTF is equipped with a test section measuring 3.0 m x 2.25 m, capable of speeds between 80 kmph and 280 kmph. It is currently being upgraded to support speeds above 400 kmph.

Dr. Vikraman V, Chief of Engineering, Renault Group India, said, "This partnership marks an important step in strengthening Renault's engineering capabilities in India. By collaborating with IIT Kanpur and leveraging the National Wind Tunnel Facility, we are bringing together world-class research infrastructure and Renault's global engineering expertise to develop futuREady vehicles. This collaboration also reflects India's growing importance within Renault's global innovation and engineering ecosystem."

Prof. Dr. Alakesh Chandra Mandal, Department of Aerospace Engineering & Co-Ordinator, NWTF, said, "We are pleased to partner with Renault India in advancing automotive research and development. This collaboration highlights the versatility of the National Wind Tunnel Facility and represents an important opportunity to extend our expertise beyond aerospace applications to support innovation in the automotive sector."

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Sun Mobility has introduced a modular multi-battery swappable solution for heavy electric vehicles, showcased on the Tata Starbus 12m EV platform at the Prawaas 5.0 exhibition in Gandhinagar.

The system aims to address barriers to fleet electrification, such as charging downtime and upfront vehicle costs. It enables the simultaneous swapping of two batteries in under five minutes. The architecture supports 50 kWh and 100 kWh configurations and is compatible with vehicles ranging from 3T to 55T gross vehicle weight. Through a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model, operators pay for energy consumption rather than purchasing the battery pack.

Chetan Maini, Co-Founder and Chairman, Sun Mobility, said, "When we founded Sun Mobility, our vision was to make electric mobility as convenient, scalable, and economically viable as conventional transport by reimagining energy infrastructure. The unveiling of the world's first Modular Multi-Battery Swappable Solution demonstrated with Tata Starbus EV at Prawaas 5.0 marks a defining milestone in that journey. We believe the modular multi-battery swapping solution has the potential to unlock large-scale electrification across the commercial vehicle ecosystem by delivering a cost-effective and operationally efficient energy solution for diverse applications. As India accelerates its transition to clean mobility, technologies designed and built here can not only transform commercial transportation at home but also position India as a global leader in next-generation electric mobility solutions."

Ashok Agarwal, CEO, Sun Mobility HEV, added, “The next phase of electrification will not be defined solely by vehicles, but by the energy ecosystems that power them. Our showcase of World’s first Modular Multi-Battery Swappable Solution on the Tata Starbus EV platform demonstrates how one battery swapping platform can serve staff, city transit, and intercity fleets alike, without compromising on affordability or operational reliability. We see this as a real step towards mass adoption of EVs in commercial transportation.”

The system operates on an intelligent network that tracks battery health, location and energy usage. It also utilises a digital twin platform to support predictive maintenance and fault diagnosis. The technology is developed in-house and is intended to be OEM-agnostic, supporting bus and truck segments from 7 to 13.5 metres and 3T to 55T gross vehicle weight.

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LICO Materials and Ather Energy have announced a partnership to establish a system for the collection and recycling of lithium-ion batteries.

Under this agreement, end-of-life batteries from Ather’s electric two-wheelers will be processed at LICO Materials' facility in Karnataka. The recovered materials will then be reintroduced into the battery supply chain for use by cell manufacturers and vehicle producers.

The initiative aims to address the recovery of materials including lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and copper. LICO Materials states that its facility can achieve recovery rates of up to 95 percent.

Gaurav Dolwani, CEO, LICO Materials, said, "India is building one of the world's largest EV fleets and it is doing without domestic reserves of the minerals that power it. That is a structural vulnerability, and battery circularity is the only answer. This partnership means those batteries can be recycled and recovered minerals can be fed into the battery supply chain. We believe this is how India can reduce its dependence on imported critical materials.”

This collaboration aligns with the Battery Waste Management Rules 2022, which require extended producer responsibility within the electric vehicle industry. By recycling battery materials, the companies intend to reduce reliance on imported minerals and support India’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2070.

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