BMW M makes foray into EV world with quat motor prototype
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BMW M Division's All-Electric Performance Car Plans
Introduction to BMW M Division
BMW's M division is world famous for building supreme performance cars. With the EV revolution well underway, the future for performance divisions is looking bleak as everything will depend on just one battery.
Innovative All-Electric M Car Development
However, M has different plans, aiming to set itself apart from the crowd by developing the first-ever all-electric M car. The German carmaker has revealed that M has started testing a prototype featuring a quad motor setup, with a motor on each axle of the M xDrive four-wheel drive system.
Prototype Specifications
The prototype is essentially a beefed-up BMW i4 M50, which has an adapted body strut from the BMW M3 and M4.
We’re informed that the unique quad motor setup will enable the first all-electric M car to achieve “variable, precise and fast” distribution of torque, which “conventional drive systems” cannot match.
Braking Energy Recovery
The quad motor setup will also be capable of harvesting braking energy and channeling it back into the battery, while continuing M’s 50-year legacy of “a linear build-up of drive power and lateral dynamics that permits controllable handling right up to the limits.”
Advanced Driving Conditions Monitoring
In addition, M is testing a system to monitor driving conditions and ascertain the driver’s intentions. This system will transfer information “within milliseconds” to the multi-plate clutch and the four motors, enabling drivers to utilize the extreme performance of the M EV in a controlled manner. This is both impressive and intelligent.
Future of M Performance Cars
“Electrification opens up completely new degrees of freedom for us to create M-typical dynamics,” says Dirk Häcker, Head of Development at BMW M GmbH.
“And we can already see that we can exploit this potential to the maximum, ensuring that our high-performance sports cars will continue to offer the M-typical and incomparable combination of dynamics, agility, and precision in the locally emission-free future.”
