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BMW Not Interested in Making an Electric 7 Series for Now

In a recent interview with a German publication, the new BMW Chief of Research and Development, Klaus Frolich, said a couple of interesting things about the products he’s overseeing. One of the more interesting bits was a referral to EVs.
BMW 7 Series electric charging 1 photo
Photo: BMW
It’s not a question of whether they are the future or not at this point. Everyone is investing in them anyway, looking to pose as eco-conscious as possible. Just recently, Mercedes officially announced that it will build a proper rival for the Tesla Model S and that’s basically the first ‘mainstream’ manufacturer that admits it wants to challenge the American ‘newcomer’.

At first, it might seem demeaning to some of the older fans of the brand, actually admitting that the company run by Elon Musk is actually doing a good job but then again, how long can you ignore the elephant in the room?

When asked if BMW is planning to do the same with a fully-electric 7 Series, Mr. Frolich was rather clear on the company’s position: NO. His arguments were valid, invoking the fact that for a limousine such as the 7er to run on electricity alone, it would need hundreds of kilos of batteries installed on-board, which would make it extremely heaving and thus very limited in range.

For the new model, BMW used their new CLAR architecture which is supposed to be hosting all the future rear-wheel drive models from the 3 Series up. What it brings to the table is usage of carbon fiber everywhere possible, from the roof to the pillars and so on.

With it, the Germans managed to shave, on average, around 130 kilos of weight (286 lbs) off the hips of the limousine, a rather impressive feat. Well, all of that would be thrown away due to batteries in case of an EV.

Therefore, Mr. Frolich does make a point with what he is trying to say. However, we have a feeling that BMW will soon have a proper rival for the Model S, only that it will have a different name and will probably be built under the i sub-brand’s umbrella.

Some say it’s going to be the i5 but we’re not so sure. No matter what the name will be, we’re pretty confident that using all the tech the i division has to offer will bring out a lightweight, extremely aerodynamic model that will have plenty of range and grunt to challenge the ‘almighty’ Tesla.
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