In an effort to let the whole world know that their electric sedans are just as fun as their fuel-burning, fire-spitting, ever-roaring, M3s, M4s and what not, BMW has released a video of the upcoming i4 showing off its capabilities.
“For the first time, we’ve developed a BMW with sporty DNA for purely electric driving entirely from scratch,” explains project manager David Alfredo Ferrufino Camacho.
“The BMW i4 offers everything BMW stands for – and it’s fully electric, too.”
With just a few months left before its world premiere, the BMW i4 is currently completing the final phase of driving dynamics testing.
Special calibration
According to BMW, the focus is on the integrated application of all drive and suspension components, ensuring that the spontaneous power delivery of the electric motor is combined with precisely controllable handling in every situation, optimised traction in all weather and road conditions, and perfectly balanced ride comfort.
With a maximum output of up to 530 hp, the electric powertrain in the BMW i4 enables the car to reach the 100 km/h mark in just four seconds from standstill. But even more impressive than its pure sprint capacity is the driving response it conveys.
A model-specific damper technology reduces the dipping movements of the body at the moment of set-off, while the actuator-related wheel slip limitation (ARB) developed by BMW with its extremely fast and precise control guarantees optimum traction and perfect straight-line stability at all times – even on slippery road surfaces.
Key features
Other key features include its spontaneous reactions to every movement – not just of the accelerator pedal but also of the steering and the brake pedal. The prerequisites for this high level of agility and precision are anchored in the underlying vehicle concept of the BMW i4.
This includes the car’s long wheelbase, wide track widths, model-specific camber values, large wheels, as well as the high torsional rigidity and the vehicle’s low centre of gravity and weight balance.
In addition to its neutral self-steering behaviour and its powerful, precisely controllable brakes, the steering in the BMW i4 responds directly and with a high degree of accuracy, offering the driver precise feedback at all times while remaining entirely independent of drive forces, even during intensive acceleration or deceleration.
Comfort
Lane changes at high speeds are mastered with ease, while relaxed driving over long distances is ensured by the speed-related Servotronic power steering and the fact that the vehicle is largely insusceptible to any disruption caused by road bumps.
Fitted with a high-voltage storage system featuring the latest battery cell technology that enables a range of up to 600 kilometres (WLTP), the chassis technology of the BMW i4 is designed for long-distance comfort, too. It is based on the high-quality damper technology, supplemented with model-specific components and separately tuned.
This effectively reduces body vibrations due to road unevenness and on bends. The model-specific fine-tuning of the suspension and damping contributes significantly to the harmonious driving characteristics of the BMW i4.
Made in Munich
At the same time as the final calibration runs are being held, preparations are underway for the production start-up at BMW Group Plant Munich. Here, every single production step is currently undergoing validation before the BMW i4 receives its final stamp of approval for characteristic BMW delivery quality.
As funky as they make it sound, do you think that the i4 will be able to fill in the shoes of the 3-Series and the 4-Series in the future?
