BMW, earlier this week, premiered via livestream their newest EV car, the BMW Concept i4.
Alongside the already released BMW i3 and BMW i8, which both use a gas powered engine either as a backup generator (i3) or part of the primary drivetrain (i8), the Concept i4 is the first totally electric car without a gas powered engine at all.
The power delivery will instead come from a series of electric motors working in tandem to produce the equivalent of 530 HP, with an estimated range of 370 miles.
According to BMW, the Concept i4 pushes through 62 MPH from a standstill in under 4.0 seconds, and will keep pushing above 130 MPH.
The most controversial part of the Concept i4, however, is the new vertical grille. Instead of the kidney grille that BMW’s have had for ages, the new vertical grille is already known to be coming on the 4 series starting in 2021.
For the EV i4, the grille itself is blanked off, as there is no need for high end cooling, instead filling the grille with sensors for cruise control, emergency assist braking, and the like.
The interior is also a new step for BMW, with a curved infotainment screen that merges into the driver’s readout display. As well, as the screen is large enough to handle most car functions, there are no dash or column buttons to push for things such as climate control or switching modes.
With the incorporation of everything into the one screen, and the power that the electric motors provide, it is quite apparent that BMW has their sights set squarely on Tesla, especially the Model 3.
Rumors abound that once introduced in 2021, there may be an i4M in the works as competition to the Tesla Model S.
