BMW has announced a new 7-series electric luxury sedan, the i7 xDrive60. The upcoming EV will have an approximate range of “up to 300 miles” and a starting price of $ 120,295. Interested car buyers can pre-order the i7 from today and deliveries are expected to begin later this year.
Complete with high-tech features such as a huge 8K theatrical rear passenger screen, BMW hopes the i7 will become a segment leader in the increasingly crowded space for luxury electric sedans. Certainly, the carmaker’s Series 7 has long taken the place of the brand’s ultimate expression of luxury (along with the 8 Series). And BMW recently grabbed the crown for Mercedes-Benz’s best-selling luxury brand in the United States, but Tesla is right on its heels.
BMW recently grabbed the crown for Mercedes-Benz’s best-selling luxury brand in the United States
The i7 can’t beat Tesla in terms of performance and battery range, but it can certainly compete in performance. With two electric motors with a combined output of 536 horsepower and 549 lb-ft of torque, the i7 xDrive60 will sprint from 0-60 mph in about 4.5 seconds.
The car’s battery provides 101.7kWh of usable energy, but the combined power consumption will be 19.7-18.9kWh per 100km, which is lower than previously advertised. By comparison, the most powerful Tesla, the long-range model, has a 100 kWh battery, while Mercedes-Benz’s flagship EQS sedan, with a mileage of 350 miles, has one with a capacity of 107.8 kWh.
Network view
In particular, BMW says it will not use rare earth materials to power both i7 engines. Instead, the motors operate on the principle of a “synchronous powered machine”, which, according to BMW, allows “precisely measured power supply” to activate the “rotor excitation”.
Most electric motors are powered by permanent magnets – sometimes no larger than a pack of playing cards – made of rare earth metals. The magnets allow the motors to transform the electricity in motion, thus powering the car. These rare earth magnets, made mainly of neodymium (NdFeB), are almost entirely mined and processed in China.
Using the principles of the synchronous electric machine, BMW says it can achieve higher energy density, especially in the rear engine, which in turn allows the carmaker to achieve the performance levels it expects from its 7 Series cars.
The design is unmistakably BMW
The design is unmistakably BMW, right down to the massive, unnecessary kidney-shaped grille at the front. BMW claims that the i7’s grille is “fully interpreted to achieve a modern and distinct look”. For example, the grille is outlined in a narrow strip of “exclusive crystal glass” LED, which helps to focus on it and – perhaps – draw more attention to it.
It should be mentioned that recently the company has been subjected to very sharp criticism on social media for its growing approach to the classic kidney grid. When asked about this last year, Don Smith, BMW’s product manager, said that while “it obviously doesn’t make sense to have an open grille”, the carmaker’s customers “want it to look like BMW”.
Inside the i7 there are more crystals, including the dashboard and center console in the form of a gearshift knob. But the real attraction is the theater screen, a massive 31-inch display that basically turns the sedan into a movie on wheels. With its panoramic 32: 9 display format and 8K streaming resolution, the screen is displaced from the roof lining and is for rear passengers only. I7 will also be equipped with a panoramic glass roof Sky Lounge with LED light fibers. It will be interesting to see how this interacts with the BMW theater screen.
For the driver, a curved display starts behind the wheel and extends halfway through the dashboard. This includes merging the 12.3-inch instrument panel and the central 14.9-inch infotainment system screen into a driver-centered one. With the latest version of BMW’s iDrive operating software, the curved display will look like a floating dashboard, which is fast becoming a common feature in luxury cars.
BMW has a number of new electric cars coming out over the next few years
BMW has a number of new electric vehicles coming out over the next few years to achieve 50 percent of the company’s sales by 2030. The company is developing an all-electric version of its 5 Series as well as its entry-level X1 SUV. Earlier this year, the company unveiled the production iX3, the all-electric version of its best-selling X3 SUV, which will be available only in Europe and China. In the US, deliveries for the BMW i4 sedan and iX SUV will begin later this year.
This means that almost all of the most popular cars of the German luxury car manufacturer will soon have all-electric options. An all-electric version of the 3 Series, BMW’s most popular car in the United States, has already been spotted testing camouflage. (The carmaker discontinued its bizarre i3 hatchback last year.)
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