When BMW’s M division goes EV, it’s going to go hard. M wants to redefine the limits of performance and driving dynamics and will do it with quad-motor beasts with a new brain that integrates everything involved with going fast.
BMW
BMW is a German luxury car and motorbike manufacturer and current owner of Mini, Rolls-Royce, and Alpina. With roots dating back to 1913 as Rapp Motorenwerke, it officially became Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1922 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. BMW’s first car was built in 1928 when it built the Austin 7 under license from Dixi, which was called the BMW 3/15. BMW grew into a manufacturer of premium and luxury automobiles, launching iconic nameplates like the 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series, and is today known as one of the leading luxury automakers in the world, while the BMW M division is hailed as a leading manufacturer of performance cars.
- Founded
- 1916
- Founder
- Karl Rapp
- Headquarters
- Munich, Germany
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Oliver Zipse
This first video in a series is a tale of the test car showcasing how BMW M built a beast that could show off the performance capabilities of a new generation of EVs. At least well enough to convince the German automaker’s board members to let the project keep moving forward.
Going Green Isn’t Easy When You’re A Go-Fast Brand
When you’re a performance brand like BMW M, how do you make the transition to electric? When your entire reason for being is about driving dynamics, driver involvement, and going quickly with emotion, then electric vehicles can be scary. It’s not about the power source; it’s about the transition from analog to digital, which changes everything about the vehicle.
In this first video in a series, BMW M gives us new insights into how it is developing the new generation of M vehicles – the ones that trade tailpipes for plugs.
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The video starts with a hint of BMW’s new control unit – a computer that integrates the functions of the engine computer, steering computer, suspension computer, traction control, and more. Franciscus van Meel, BMW M CEO, says “We’re really good at doing that. But things are getting more and more complicated.”
The way forward, he says, is not more control units but one that does more. Van Meel says that it “gives you a very special feeling.” It’s so quick and precise that “it actually brings you to another level.” That level M is working toward is one where EVs feel like they’re ICE-powered.
Quad Motor Monster i4 Hits BMW Test Track
Then it’s time for testing. A strengthened i4 with custom subframes to support its four-motor powertrain hits BMW’s test course, with time ticking down before the all-important board member drive. It ends up broken down. A climate control compressor has failed again.
BMW’s M engineers have run into the limits of simulation. On the road and in the world, things happen.
The video ends on a cliffhanger, but there is still plenty to be extracted from this video. For example, BMW’s dual-motor electric powertrain already makes up to 610 horsepower. Two more motors could more than double that, with previous hints from van Meel suggesting this prototype had as much as 1,341 hp.
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Even if it doesn’t double power, BMW M using four motors instead of two shows the automaker is willing to spend more on the cars to make them drive better. Two motors and fancy differentials can do a pretty good job of sending power left and right to enhance cornering. Four motors can do that job at the next level, instantly adding and subtracting exactly the right amount of torque for ideal dynamics. They can even use regen to lightly brake one or more corners.
BMW is being cagey about its M EVs in this series, plus we know that some of you will have an inline six pried from your cold hands. But don’t you want to see how it all plays out? We sure do, even if we know the M3 will retain a combustion engine alongside this newcomer.
