It seems only a matter of time before this setup is offered in production M cars, but which ones will feature it?
BMW- BMW is using an i4 M50 as a testbed for a quad-motor setup, expected to be offered in the next generation of electric M cars.
- The prototype four-door features high-performance front and rear axles, created just for this application.
- The four motors also act as generators, recuperating energy and sending it back to the battery.
BMW may have given EV fans a more powerful i4 in the form of the M50, but it’s not really designed to be the M car of the range, despite being positioned above the i4 eDrive35 at the moment. Instead, Munich has something else in the works that should live up to the M badge.
Say guten morgen to the quad-motor M prototype currently undergoing testing that, among other things, gives a new meaning to the term “four-wheel drive.” Based on the i4 M50 four-door, the prototype features a wider stance with flared wheel arches, but most of the innovation is under the skin.
BMW has paired the four electric motors with an integrated driving dynamics control system, while the wider wheel arches allow for high-performance front and rear axles, manufactured specifically for this prototype. BMW has added an adapted body strut concept borrowed from the M3 and M4 models, to give the prototype particularly high torsional rigidity.
The centerpiece of the effort, of course, is the quad-motor setup, which is promised to allow for a fast distribution of drive torque that is also infinitely variable according to the automaker, reacting within milliseconds.
“Electrification opens up completely new degrees of freedom for us to create M-typical dynamics,” said Dirk Häcker, Head of Development at BMW M GmbH. “And we can already see that we can exploit this potential to the maximum, so 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.”
The four motors themselves are paired with a highly integrated control unit that monitors the driver’s inputs and the driving conditions, transmitting the signals via a multi-plate clutch and differentials to all four motors. The four motors are also engineered to serve as generators, recuperating the energy and feeding it back to the high-voltage battery.
The prototype is now undergoing testing in Germany, with the interior being filled with sensor hardware. So it’ll be a while before we get to see the inside.
But when it comes to production plans, you can go ahead and mark this one down as having been greenlit, and not just because this is the 50th anniversary of BMW M GmbH.
“On our anniversary, we are not only looking back, but also looking forward,” said Franciscus van Meel, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW M GmbH. “Before the end of the year, production of the BMW XM, our first high-performance car featuring a V8 M hybrid drive, will commence. Together with our fans all over the world, we are also looking forward to our entry into the LMDh category of the North American IMSA endurance racing series, in which we will also be competing with an eight-cylinder hybrid turbo engine in Daytona and at other events in 2023, as well as in the WEC racing series at Le Mans a year later.”
Timing for the production debut of the first electric M car, however, is an open question at the moment. But it doesn’t seem like there will be just one M car to feature this type of powertrain.
Keyword: BMW M Is Testing a Quad-Motor Setup in the i4 M50