April 3, 2026: Engineers at the Polish operation of European battery manufacturer BMZ have developed a new generation battery system designed for the global market of electric buses and special-purpose vehicles, the company has announced.
Germany-based BMZ said on March 31 the key distinguishing feature of its Versora battery was its scalable architecture, enabling vehicle manufacturers to configure the system like building blocks — in terms of energy, power, operating voltage and dimensions.
Another design feature is Versora’s ability to use two cell chemistries, NMC and LFP, while maintaining identical dimensions and nearly identical weight.
BMZ said this allows the battery system to be tailored to vehicle requirements without redesigning the system architecture. As a result, both a premium variant, offering high energy density and extended range or operating time, and a cost-efficient variant meeting basic market needs can be developed.
Looking ahead, this also enables the use of cells produced in Europe and worldwide without modifying the system design, the firm said.
The new battery type was developed at BMZ Poland’s EV competence centre, where it will also be manufactured.
According to BMZ, the scalable voltage and energy mean the system can support both low- and high voltage applications (400V and 800V architectures).
In addition, Versora’s modularity and compactness means the battery can be used in retrofit projects — vehicles upgraded by replacing combustion engines with electric drives.
BMZ said the battery’s low profile allows installation both in the floor and on the roof of a vehicle. The system design also enables batteries to be stacked, further increasing integration flexibility.
A similar project, based on a different BMZ battery type, is underway by the firm in the US, electrifying trolleybus fleets from 2025 onwards, starting in California, with plans to expand to other states.
Robert Kowalczyk, CEO of BMZ Poland, said: “Versora is a platform designed in Poland but created from the outset with global bus and special vehicle manufacturers in mind. It is the result of many years of work by our specialists and, in our view, represents a new standard in the electric vehicle battery industry.”
Since 2025, BMZ Group has been part of investment company SKion, after the group filed for insolvency for two of its German subsidiaries.
