BMW's M Division Is Testing a Four-Motor EV Structure
BMW already offers capable electric models with the i4 sedan and iX SUV, both introduced within the past year. But the automaker plans to push the capability limits further along, specifically when it starts to introduce its first electric models bearing the M badge, reserved for the company’s high-performance division.
Yesterday, the division showed off a test model equipped with a four-motor electric drivetrain and a chassis control system designed to direct power where it's needed. The testing of the hardware and software systems is part of the process of preparing the division's future electric vehicles.
The model tested is based on the i4 M50, but it includes elements from the M3 and M4 to improve cooling and torsional rigidity, as well as to make room for the electric motors, hence the domed fenders. There are two motors on each axle, allowing individual control of each wheel.
The approach is roughly reminiscent of the famous wheel-motor developed by Hydro-Quebec in the early 1990s.
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