BMW and Mercedes reveal their battery suppliers after fire

Only a few car manufacturers reveal the names of their battery manufacturers. We usually have to ask several times, and even then we don't always get the information. However, following a catastrophic electric car fire in South Korea, several manufacturers have now revealed their cell suppliers - in response to a request from the Korean government.

On 1 August 2024, numerous vehicles caught fire in the underground car park of a residential building in Incheon, Korea (around 25 km west of Seoul). Over 100 residents had to be evacuated. The fire started in a Mercedes EQE, which was not even being charged at the time, as reported by The Korean Times. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation. 

Following the incident, the South Korean government called on car manufacturers to voluntarily disclose the names of their cell suppliers. Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, but also BMW and Mercedes, among others, complied. Automobilwoche has now published tables showing the battery manufacturers of the two German brands.

According to this, BMW uses cells from the Korean manufacturer Samsung SDI in most models; only a few cars receive batteries from the Chinese manufacturer CATL.

We do not know whether this also applies to the models offered in Germany. However, most vehicles are manufactured in Germany; it is rather unlikely that BMW installs different batteries depending on the destination. The same applies to the iX3 produced in China and the BMW i3 long saloon (not offered in Europe). We also learned at the presentation of the iX that cells from different manufacturers are installed depending on the motorisation - this is consistent with the information in the table. 

Mercedes primarily uses cells from the Chinese companies Farasis and CATL, as well as batteries from the South Korean manufacturers SK On and LG.

Hyundai, Kia and Genesis use batteries from LG, SK On and CATL, as reported by Reuters. However, we have not yet found any tables for the individual models.

The accident has led to great scepticism towards electric cars among the Korean population. But electric car fires have also been the subject of heated debate in Germany for years. The Freemantle Highway fire in the summer of 2023 was one of the reasons for this. At the time, a transport ship carrying almost 4,000 cars burned down. Initially, it was assumed that one of the electric cars on board had caused the fire; this later turned out to be unfounded.

More about electric car batteries:

Zeekr 007: The fastest charging electric car in the world?

Here's what Porsche does with used Taycan batteries

The bottom line

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Following a catastrophic fire in an underground car park, apparently caused by an electric car, the Korean population is in a state of frenzy. The battery manufacturers' publication is apparently intended to inform consumers and reassure them.

However, it is of little use to know whether the battery cells in a car come from the same manufacturer as the model involved in the accident. This is because the cell chemistry and battery management are more decisive for the performance of a battery. For us, however, the publication is a plus, because we now know which cells BMW and Mercedes use. The information should also apply to the cars offered in this country.     

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