Electric luxury class: BMW i7 completes final testing

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Electric luxury class: BMW i7 completes final testing-final

With driving dynamics testing on demanding test tracks around the world, the series development process for the BMW i7, the only purely electrically powered luxury sedan in the world to date, is entering its final phase. Electric motors, all-wheel drive and high-voltage batteries are currently being tested for performance and reliability so that the electric luxury class from Munich can start in 2022.

With a demanding test program under extreme road and weather conditions, the series development process of the BMW i7 is entering its final phase. During the so-called hot country testing on test tracks and public roads all over the world, the development engineers primarily verify the performance and reliability of the electric motors, the all-wheel drive and the high-voltage battery under maximum load due to high temperatures, unpaved roads, dust formation and large differences in altitude.

The road to series production takes the prototypes of the BMW i7, among other things, over gravel roads and into desert areas, into the mountains and on selected, highly dynamic routes. The BMW i7 will be presented in the course of 2022 together with other model variants of the new BMW 7 Series. The BMW i7 is based on the modified CLAR platform, which also allows electric drives. The batteries with an output of up to 120 kWh are located in the vehicle floor. The i7 will probably be available with different battery sizes and outputs. At the beginning there should be a drive with 80 kWh and around 500 hp, according to auto motor und sport. BMW forecasts power consumption at 22.5 to 19.5 kWh per 100 kilometers according to WLTP.

Electric luxury class: BMW i7 completes final testing-testingbmw

Thousands of kilometers under real conditions

The endurance test in the hot regions of different countries and continents serves in particular to test and validate all components of the electric drive system. In continuous use with extremely high outdoor temperatures, permanent solar radiation and dryness, the components of the BMW EDRive Technology of the Fifth Generation developed for the BMW i7 are intended to prove their undesirable functionality, even under distant circumstances. Within a firmly defined test program, loads are simulated for the prototypes that correspond to the challenges faced by a series vehicle during a complete product life cycle. Supported by sensitive measurement technology on board, test engineers register every reaction of the electric motors, the high-voltage battery, the drive control and the integrated cooling system as well as the charging technology and the energy management to weather and road-related influences.

The test program covering tens of thousands of kilometers includes long-distance and high-speed drives as well as stop-and-go traffic in scorching heat. In addition, test routes with particularly large differences in altitude were selected at the hot country test sites. According to BMW, this allows the temperature behavior of the electric motors and the torque control of the all-electric BMW xDrive to be analyzed during particularly dynamic and long-lasting uphill driving. In order to further increase the load on the drive system, the test program also includes mountain driving with a trailer. At the same time, the high-voltage battery will use this opportunity to demonstrate its ability to continuously deliver peak performance to supply the electric drive. As an extreme scenario and a special challenge for the energy management and the power electronics, the test also includes driving downhill with a high-voltage battery, which is already fully charged at the start and can therefore no longer absorb any recuperation energy.

The grueling test procedure of the hot country trials is also used to put the performance of the air conditioning and the other on-board electronics as well as the temperature resistance of the materials used in the interior to a particularly tough test. This ensures that the world’s only purely electrically powered luxury sedan offers a perfectly coordinated and exclusive driving experience in every respect.

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2 thoughts on “Electric luxury class: BMW i7 completes final testing”

  1. The car has a front as if it had to house a 12-cylinder engine or a complete fuel cell stack.
    Is that from the time when male dominance was shown in the engine compartment volume?

    For my taste, the design is out of date, but I don’t belong to the BMW clientele anyway.

    Reply

  2. Yes, the gentlemen from BMW should continue to build only large bodies, because you want to have money in the till, not 70 or 100.000 €, you don’t need that!!!!
    Why not resell the i3 with customizations?!!!

    Reply

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