BMW is prepping its next-generation of electric vehicles, and it just sent specs of its upcoming 2027 lineup to the EPA. Unearthed by a Bimmerpost user, the spec sheet claims that an upcoming BMW iX5 60 is going to have a massive 147.8 kWh battery back. That will make it by far the biggest battery ever used in a BMW EV. The second biggest battery on the list doesn’t even belong to a BMW, but the Rolls-Royce Spectre, with its 118.1 kWh pack. There isn’t any official range info for the iX5 yet, but it’s shaping up to be BMW’s longest yet.
Currently, cars like the BMW i7 have 111.5 kWh batteries, which is already big and among the industry standards for longer-range, larger EVs. However, having a 147.8 kWh battery will put the iX5 among the biggest batteries in the industry. GM will still have BMW beat, as it uses absolutely freakishly large 205 kWh packs. Still, this is a big one.
Since the iX5 will debut long after the i7 LCI, it will also get the same new cylindrical battery cells, rather than the prismatic cells in its current EVs. Those cylindrical cells were also made in partnership with Rimac, an odd choice of partner given Rimac’s connection to the Volkswagen Group.
Like most BMW EVs, the iX5 will have a dual-motor setup. The front motor will make 247 horsepower, while the rear one will make 322 horses. Combined that’s 569 horsepower, which isn’t much in the modern world of EV performanec cars. Still, it’s plenty and should be good for enough performance to make the big Bimmer scoot. A big Bimmer it will be, too, as a battery pack of that size will be heavy. Oddly, the iX5’s massive battery pack reportedly has fewer cells that the one in the new i7, with 960 versus the i7’s 1000. But with the i7 tipping the scales over 6000 pounds, expect the iX5 to do the same.
