Since the beginning of the year it is known that the German carmaker BMW plans to bring the all-electric BMW i4 onto the roads in 2021. Now the model was first spotted as Erlkönig. Also first technical details should already be known.
As part of the IAA 2017, the future BMW i4 was presented as BMW iVision Dynamics. Now he is said to have already been spotted on the street as Erlkönig. The maturity of the series should therefore not be too far away.
BMW wants to build its new four-wheel Gran Coupe, which is to come as a competitor to the Tesla Model 3 on the market, under the name i4 at the headquarters in Munich. However, the Bavarian buys the batteries externally. In Munich, BMW alone takes care of the development of batteries and electric drives. For this purpose, a new competence center for battery technology has been opened in the north of Munich. BMW wants to have a precise overview of what they are buying from current battery suppliers such as CATL or Samsung . From 2021 onwards, they even want to buy the raw materials themselves in Morocco and Australia and pass them on to the suppliers for use.
Modular Platform
The electric BMW i4 will most likely build on the universal modular CLAR architecture. This is for gasoline , diesel , plug-in hybrid and full electric carsidentical. The electric motor should be positioned either rear or front and rear. Similar to other electric cars, the battery is installed flat under the floor. Compared to the BMW i3, the individual battery packs are around 40 percent flatter and smaller. The platform of the i4 will be an 80 kWh battery and an electric motor with 390 kW / 530 hp. The performance is strongly on the level of a six-cylinder or even current V8 engines. The range of the roughly 550-kilogram battery pack is expected to be up to 80 kWh between 500 and 600 kilometers. The strong added weight compared to the BMW 4 Series with combustion engine, the i4 with significantly more power, a higher body stiffness and a lower center of gravity to compensate. The sprint from 0 to 100 km / h, the electric four-in less than 4 seconds to master.
The Electric Fleet of BMW
The charging power should be aligned according to the current state with 150 kilowatts. In just 30 minutes, the i4 should be charged to 80 percent. Since there is still some time to go before the market starts, it remains to be seen whether Bayern will be able to further reduce the loading time. According to the current status, the Bavarian engine plant plans to launch five electrified models by 2021 – the BMW i3, the Mini Electricic, the BMW IX3, the BMW iNext and the BMW i4. By 2025, they plan to raise the number to at least twelve models.
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