On July 23, BMW announced that its Steyr plant in Austria has entered into a partnership with Austrian steel and metal technology company voestalpine. Advanced electrical steel produced at voestalpine’s Linz plant will be used in BMW’s next-generation electric drive motors.

This cutting-edge steel will be applied to the rotors and stators of BMW’s sixth-generation e-drive system, powering upcoming electric vehicles based on the Neue Klasse platform. BMW and voestalpine have collaborated for years on material and coating technologies, with the Steyr plant officially selecting voestalpine as its electrical steel supplier in 2024.

The new material supplied by voestalpine combines ultra-thin electrical steel with the latest coating technology. Initially processed into thin strips at the Linz plant, the steel is then shaped into laminated cores at the Steyr facility, ultimately becoming key components of high-efficiency drive motors. These motors will be installed in vehicles at BMW’s Debrecen plant in Hungary.

Electrical steel offers advantages such as low energy loss, high magnetic efficiency, and lightweight properties. In short, the use of high-performance electrical steel enhances EV performance, extends driving range, and reduces energy consumption.