BMW introduces new EV concept car — here's why it stands out

German automaker BMW has announced a new concept car: the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X electric sport activity vehicle ("sport activity vehicle" is BMW's in-house terminology for what the rest of the industry calls a sport utility vehicle, or SUV). The car includes several specs intended to push the idea of the luxury electric vehicle to new heights.

Among those developments is rounded battery cells, which BMW says are 20% more energy-dense than the more common prismatic cells. The BMW Vision Neue Klasse X electric sport activity vehicle will feature a range of around 497 miles and will be able to charge from 10% to 80% in less than 30 minutes.

Also included in the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X electric sport activity vehicle are not one, not two, not three, but four computer systems, which BMW has dubbed "super-brains."

The "super-brain" computers will "take the driving experience ... to a new dimension," Frank Weber, a member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for development, said in a press release. "The result will be more dynamic performance, more precision, more efficiency and even more fun to drive."

In addition to the planet-friendly electric battery, the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X electric sport activity vehicle will have other features intended to reduce its environmental impact, including an interior made out of sustainable materials like a plant- and mineral-based and petroleum-free material called "Verdana," maritime plastics, and recovered fishing nets. It will also be manufactured at a factory that BMW says is designed to run on clean energy.

Legacy car companies are designing and releasing more electric vehicles to give climate-conscious consumers more options. According to data from the Department of Energy, the average EV produces 10,000 fewer pounds of air pollution per year than the average gas-powered car — helping to keep air quality healthy and slow the overheating of our planet.

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The BMW Vision Neue Klasse X electric sport activity vehicle is expected to go into production next year.

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