The BMW M family has always been the soul of BMW performance cars. As the M family is about to reach its 50th anniversary, BMW M also began to test pure electric performance cars for the first time, using four electric motors in one go to create a burst of power.
BMW M is about to launch their last "pure fuel performance car" on the 50th anniversary, and in the near future, the BMW M family will be dominated by gasoline and pure electric, and now they have begun to test the first pure electric car, a four-motor M family model.
Next in the M family will be the XM, a gasoline-electric hybrid twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, and the new-generation M5, with the same specs but a plug-in hybrid version. The new generation of M3 is very likely to be launched in 2025 and will use pure electric power.
"No matter what kind of power is used, once you get in the driver's seat, you will immediately feel that this is an M family car." Frank van Meel, head of BMW M family power development, said that the biggest problem with electrification of performance cars is weight. An advantage is the removal of a lot of sound insulation, and the low center of gravity brought about by the battery.
In order to continue to maintain the appearance of the M family in the pure electric era, the BMW team built a prototype test car which uses four electric motors and an integrated dynamic control system, so that the vehicle can still be perfectly driven with extreme power.
The design of one motor for each of the four wheels greatly increases the possibility of this car. Simultaneous with strong output, it can quickly distribute the required torque in the face of different cornering requirements. Test drivers can clearly feel from the pedals that this new power system can achieve a state beyond the reach of traditional drive systems.
The prototype car is loaded with various measurement devices, enough to provide as much data as the rollover test environment can provide, allowing the team to continue to improve. The prototypes were designed as four-door hatchbacks, driving first on virtual roads, then closed roads, then open roads, and finally they drove on several off-road sections. Whether it's mud, heavy rain or snow, the four-motors paired with xDrive core technology enables higher exit speeds in all situations, without the slightest effort or understeer.
The factory did not provide much detailed data, but according to the content of the interview, the most entry-level configuration of the pure electric M family in the future will probably be a rear-drive dual-motor configuration, and the power performance it provides will be equivalent to the current fuel vehicles. The performance of the advanced version will naturally surpass the existing M family and reach an unprecedented new realm.
The pure electric M series will be built with the new Neue Klasse architecture, which can support 350 kW fast charging and have a battery life of 600 kilometers. However, it is still in the development stage and is expected to be officially unveiled in 2025.
（Image：BMW）