Photo: BMW
Apart from working on a platform that would work for both conventional engines and electric powertrains, not much is known about BMW's plans for coping with the paradigm shift in the automotive industry.
Well, while the information is principally correct, the Bavarians are actually developing two separate architectures that will underpin all future BMW and MINI models (and probably Rolls-Royce as well), regardless of what it is that sets their wheels in motion.
That could be a gasoline engine, a hybrid system, a plug-in hybrid system, one or more electric motors, and even the boogie man of the hour, a diesel engine. It may not be trendy right now to talk about oil burners, but car companies have to have the facts and realize there's still going to be a demand for them on certain markets for a lot of years to come.
It's precisely this heterogeneity that pushed BMW toward this plan. From a financial standpoint, it's obviously the best solution (simpler, more cost-effective manufacturing), but it does present a risk: initial development takes more time, which means the carmaker might be a little late to the table with its competitive EVs.
But the plan is in motion, and BMW invited some of the press to Munich to talk about its plans. To demonstrate the idea, it showed its guests three different miniature powertrains (gasoline, hybrid, and electric), and just the one sedan body that fit perfectly over each one. That's BMW's plan in a nutshell.
“The trend towards e-mobility is irreversible,” BMW sales chief Ian Robertson said, quoted by whichcar. The press event also revealed the company's intentions regarding the electric motors as well as battery packs that will be powering its future models.
It turns out the smallest capacity battery pack is 60 kWh, the top one has 120 kWh (larger than anything on the market right now) and there's also one dead in the middle at 90 kWh. The modular design of the vehicles makes it so that, as long as physical room isn't a problem, any combination is possible. According to BMW engineers, the ranges of its vehicles should vary between 450 (280) and 700 km (434 miles).
The same flexibility allows for three electric motors to be mounted - two on the rear axle for easy torque vectoring, and one on the front one for all-wheel-drive. With power outputs ranging from 100 to 300 kW and beyond, it's not all that difficult to imagine a Tesla-beater (but also M5-killer) wearing the BMW badge in the upcoming years.
That could be a gasoline engine, a hybrid system, a plug-in hybrid system, one or more electric motors, and even the boogie man of the hour, a diesel engine. It may not be trendy right now to talk about oil burners, but car companies have to have the facts and realize there's still going to be a demand for them on certain markets for a lot of years to come.
It's precisely this heterogeneity that pushed BMW toward this plan. From a financial standpoint, it's obviously the best solution (simpler, more cost-effective manufacturing), but it does present a risk: initial development takes more time, which means the carmaker might be a little late to the table with its competitive EVs.
But the plan is in motion, and BMW invited some of the press to Munich to talk about its plans. To demonstrate the idea, it showed its guests three different miniature powertrains (gasoline, hybrid, and electric), and just the one sedan body that fit perfectly over each one. That's BMW's plan in a nutshell.
“The trend towards e-mobility is irreversible,” BMW sales chief Ian Robertson said, quoted by whichcar. The press event also revealed the company's intentions regarding the electric motors as well as battery packs that will be powering its future models.
It turns out the smallest capacity battery pack is 60 kWh, the top one has 120 kWh (larger than anything on the market right now) and there's also one dead in the middle at 90 kWh. The modular design of the vehicles makes it so that, as long as physical room isn't a problem, any combination is possible. According to BMW engineers, the ranges of its vehicles should vary between 450 (280) and 700 km (434 miles).
The same flexibility allows for three electric motors to be mounted - two on the rear axle for easy torque vectoring, and one on the front one for all-wheel-drive. With power outputs ranging from 100 to 300 kW and beyond, it's not all that difficult to imagine a Tesla-beater (but also M5-killer) wearing the BMW badge in the upcoming years.
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