Battery Chemistry

DisgruntledSanta

DisgruntledSanta

Active Member
As I learn more and more about EVs and different battery types, I have done some searching around for what kind of battery our SEs are running: Prismatic, LFP, NMC, etc.

Back-calculating from the pack weight (441lbm) and capacity (32.6kWh) to get the Wh/lbm to aide in this has proven… less useful.

Anyone have any ideas? Or has anyone opened up the pack to take a look?


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From a review of the 2020 SE:
According to the press release, the MINI SE uses the last-gen i3 battery tech (94 Ah – 32.6 kWh) rather than the 120 Ah battery used in the 2019 i3.

If this is true, why was this done?
A modified version of the 94Ah battery package is used and it repackaged to fit into the T-Pack used in the Cooper SE. Therefore, the MINI Cooper SE has battery pack of 32.6 kWh and 28.9 kWh net.


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DisgruntledSanta said:
I seem remember reading that it was changed from the i3 battery to improve cold weather performance, but perhaps that was in reference to the older i3 battery?


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Click to expand...
MINI said the CATL battery in the SE offers better cold-weather performance than the Samsung battery in the i3, but the main reason for the change was to get a battery that fit without raising the body more than 5/8".
 
After much research my best guess is the Cooper SE utilizes prismatic CATL NCM 333 (111). Yes it is very old technology, but it's extremely stable and hopefully will meet the 20.9 year lifespan like the i3. Cold weather performance is probably better thermal management systems rather than chemistry.

The BMW i3 60Ah and 94Ah use prismatic 333 from Samsung SDI, while the 120Ah uses the NCM 622 chemistry. Improvements for the 60Ah to 94Ah were primarily packing efficiencies. Since the Samsung SDI 94Ah battery is too tall for a Cooper SE retrofit, CATL made a shorter one to fit in the transmission tunnel and gas tank.

It kind of creeps me out that the Koreans have updated from 622 to 712 to 811 pouch cells in a matter of a few years. Prepare for thermal runaway fun times!
 
Is the i3 120ah battery physicals larger than the 94ah version?
I ask as the 120ah version is not available as a REX and while I know the argument can be made that you don’t need a REX with that kind of battery capacity I was wondering if they used any space from the REX location?
I know the Mini is a t-shaped pack anyway so regardless maybe is simply not possible to fit a 120ah confit in there.
I just assume they can’t have fit 30% more ah in the same space as I didn’t think battery tech was advancing in that way to that degree?
 
AndysComputer said:
Is the i3 120ah battery physicals larger than the 94ah version?
I ask as the 120ah version is not available as a REX and while I know the argument can be made that you don’t need a REX with that kind of battery capacity I was wondering if they used any space from the REX location?
I know the Mini is a t-shaped pack anyway so regardless maybe is simply not possible to fit a 120ah confit in there.
I just assume they can’t have fit 30% more ah in the same space as I didn’t think battery tech was advancing in that way to that degree?
Click to expand...

Same size but Samsung SDI updated the chemistry to NCM 622 from NCM 333. Battery tech is advancing extremely quickly, but the battery testing/validation/design can take upwards of 4 years before it's actually rolled out to consumers.
 
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