Munich. With the consistent expansion of its range to
further vehicle segments, the BMW Group is pushing ahead with the
transformation to electric mobility. During the forthcoming year, the
Munich-based premium automobile manufacturer will already present the
world’s first all-electric luxury sedan – the BMW i7 (power
consumption combined: 22.5 – 19.5 kWh/100 km according to WLTP; CO2
emissions: 0 g/km; prognosis based on the vehicle’s current level of
development). Within the framework of its series development process,
the BMW i7 is currently undergoing driving dynamics testing on the
premises of the BMW Group winter test centre in Arjeplog, Sweden.
There, just a few kilometres away from the Arctic Circle, test
engineers find the frozen surfaces and snow-covered roads offering the
ideal preconditions for the integrated application of all drive and
suspension systems. With the test programme held in the biting cold,
they pave the way to a new interpretation of luxury driving pleasure.
For the first time, it will be possible to experience a maximum in
characteristic BMW dynamics, comfort and supremacy in the luxury class
with absolutely zero local emissions.
The suspension components, steering and braking systems as well as
driving dynamics and vehicle stability systems developed for the
future generation of the BMW 7 Series are designed to raise the
balance between sportiness and ride comfort so typical of the brand’s
luxury sedans to the next level. This also includes
performance-oriented tuning of the wheel suspension, springs, dampers
and various regulating systems to match the various different drive
types. They all undergo intensive testing in Arjeplog under extreme
climate conditions.
In Lapland’s winter landscape, the test engineers find the perfect
preconditions for this. During test drives around the snow-covered
roads around Arjeplog, they are able to test and optimise all
functions under extremely challenging conditions in order to achieve
an absolutely harmonious and BMW-typical driving experience. Moreover,
they make use of test surfaces on frozen lakes with their low road
friction coefficient in order to achieve particularly fine tuning of
suspension control systems. The steering application undergoes
meticulous tuning as do the numerous functions of the Dynamic
Stability Control system (DSC) and the accurately regulated
interaction between friction brake and deceleration by means of energy recuperation.
The winter programme also focuses in particular on the components of
the all-electric drive system. The BMW i7’s electric drive,
high-voltage battery, power electronics and charging technology all
originate from the fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology, which
already provides for sustainable driving pleasure in the BMW iX. Above
all, it is the motor, the battery and the temperature control system
of the BMW i7 that prove their high level of maturity in extreme
sub-zero temperatures in the north of Sweden.
With the BMW i7, the brand’s current model offensive in the luxury
segment is being continued in a particularly progressive way. For the
first time, it is possible to experience a luxury sedan that is
characterised by elegance, ride comfort and supremacy without
restriction and in conjunction with a purely electric drive system.
The BMW i7 is based on the same vehicle concept as all further model
variants of the BMW 7 Series. This integrated development also
guarantees locally emission-free driving with the characteristic
combination of both sporty and comfort-oriented handling properties
along with the exclusive spaciousness of a BMW luxury sedan.