Bayerische Motoren Werke AG on Dec. 11 signed a five-year supply agreement with China's Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. to secure the lithium needed to produce its battery cells.

The move is part of the German carmaker's electromobility expansion and supports its plan to have 25 electrified models by 2023, with more than half to be pure electric.

The projected order volume totals €540 million. By 2025, BMW expects to need about seven times the amount it does today.

The contract will run from 2020 to 2024.