BMW M GmbH is headed towards the next chapter in its electric mobility transition. With the first test drives of a so-called concept test vehicle for innovative drive and chassis control systems, a multidisciplinary team of developers is now putting to test the hardware and software solutions designed for future fully electric cars.
The concept testing focuses on a four-wheel drive system comprising four electric motors and an integrated driving dynamics control system.
Exactly 50 years after its foundation, BMW M GmbH is in the midst of a transformation process towards electric mobility. The anniversary year has already seen the market launch of the all-electric BMW i4 M50 performance car and the BMW iX M60. And the BMW i7 M70, the first BMW M automobile based on an all-electric luxury sedan, is to follow as early as next year.
Franciscus van Meel, Chairman of the Board of Management, BMW M GmbH, said, “Before the end of the year, production of the BMW XM, our first car featuring a V8 M hybrid drive, will commence.”
Based on the BMW i4 M50, a purely electrically powered coupe has been created with a modified body in typical BMW M GmbH style, the wide wheel arches of which permit the integration of specifically manufactured high-performance front and rear axle designs.
The fact that all four wheels are each driven by an electric motor opens up completely new possibilities for infinitely variable, extremely precise and at the same time fast distribution of drive torque. Within milliseconds, the power and torque of the spontaneously reacting electric motors can be dosed so precisely that the load demand signalled via the accelerator pedal can be realised at a level of dynamics that is unattainable using conventional drive systems.
The precision during the transfer of drive torque in particular benefits significantly from the electric M xDrive four-wheel drive system. The four motors are connected to a central, highly integrated control unit that permanently monitors the driving condition and the driver’s wishes.
The ideal power transmission to the road is calculated within milliseconds from the values for the accelerator pedal position, steering angle, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, wheel speeds and other parameters.
The high-performance character of the new drive system is also evident in the recuperation of braking energy. Right up to the limits of driving dynamics, the four motors can assume the function of a generator when braking before a bend, for example, and feed electricity back into the battery.
