Author | Qiu Kaijun
Editor | Qiu Kaijun
BMW’s masterpiece of pure electricity, will never forget China.
On December 9th, BMW Group’s innovative pure electric BMW i7 was launched with full charge in China. This is the flagship of the BMW family’s pure electric series, and also the fifth pure electric product launched by BMW in China.
The official price of the innovative pure electric BMW i7 xDrive60L, which was officially launched, is 1.459 million yuan; the innovative pure electric BMW i7 eDrive50L is available for pre-sale, with a pre-sale price of 1 million to 1.2 million yuan.
This price not only demonstrates the supreme status of the 7 Series, but also reflects the value experience created by the development of BMW Group’s electric technology to the best. Taking the i7 xDrive60L as an example, it has a 400-kilowatt power output, a zero-to-100-kilometer acceleration time of 4.7 seconds, a CLTC range of 650 kilometers, and a power consumption of 17.9 kWh per 100 kilometers, as well as a magic carpet intelligent air suspension system and a 31-inch 8K suspended giant screen… This is not only the BMW Group, but also the flagship of the electric era.
With BMW i7 at the forefront, in 2023, BMW Group will launch a new electric offensive, and its pure electric products in China will reach 11 models. At that time, BMW will have the most complete pure electric product line among luxury brands, covering almost all segmented markets.
For China, the world’s most competitive electric vehicle market, BMW can be said to be fully committed.
Innovative pure electric BMW i7: The culmination of a masterpiece
As a member of the all-new 7 Series, the BMW i7 naturally has a noble size, luxurious appearance, and interior design. As an electric vehicle, the BMW i7’s electric power is unquestionable.
The BMW i7 is equipped with the fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive system independently developed by the BMW Group.
BMW eDrive represents BMW’s long history of electric drive technology. It was first used in the BMW X6, codenamed E72, and was then named BMW ActiveHybrid. Over the past decade, eDrive’s sharpness has gradually been revealed. Its first-generation product has demonstrated itself on many well-known models such as the i3/i8. The fifth-generation BMW eDrive is already quite mature, undertaking the heavy responsibility of pushing almost all mass-produced BMW models towards deep electrification. It has been fully verified in new models such as the i3, iX3, i4, and iX.The BMW eDrive is highly integrated, platform-oriented and scalable.
To match the flagship status of the BMW i7, the eDrive naturally pulls to the limit of performance.
As for the range, the BMW i7 can reach a maximum of 650 kilometers (CLTC standard), with a minimum energy consumption of 17.9 kWh per 100 km, which is what consumers are most concerned about.
As a large car, sufficient electric power is needed for long-range driving. The fifth-generation eDrive provides the BMW i7 with a 101.7 kWh battery pack. Moreover, the battery pack uses high-density battery cells that are only 110 millimeters in height and are arranged under the vehicle floor, which does not invade the passenger cabin space and allows passengers to enjoy a comfortable seating position.
A large car cannot rely on “ponies” to pull, and the BMW i7 naturally also requires a powerful driving force. The fifth-generation eDrive provides the BMW i7 with a maximum output power of 400 kilowatts from the dual electric motors, a peak torque of 745 Nm, and an acceleration time from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds. This also makes the BMW i7 the most powerful model in the 7 Series family.
BMW’s label is handling, and in the electric era, BMW still pursues handling.
On the BMW i7, traditional, electric and intelligent driving experiences are provided.
Traditional steering is closely related to the suspension. The BMW i7 is equipped with an adaptive double-wishbone air suspension with automatic level control and electrically controlled shock absorbers, which can quickly respond to bumpy road conditions and maintain a comfortable and reliable riding posture.
At the same time, the BMW i7 is equipped with an upgraded Magic Carpet intelligent air suspension system. The biggest highlight of this system is the active comfort anti-tilt function, which can adjust the vehicle’s body height on one side actively, resulting in a more stable driving experience.
In the electric era, the unique electric drive performance has changed the driving experience. On the one hand, the electric drive responds to acceleration rapidly, within milliseconds. The BMW i7 with M Sports Package is equipped with a Sport Boost mode. When the driver presses and holds the left shift paddle, the powerful driving force can be activated, giving him or her a thrilling acceleration experience for 10 seconds. On the other hand, kinetic energy recovery is also involved, reducing the use of brakes. BMW’s strategy for kinetic energy recovery adjustment is to consider both energy recovery efficiency and comfort, and to allow the driver to have a choice.The BMW i7 offers an Efficiency Trainer function that allows the driver to easily monitor the vehicle’s driving status, energy flow, and acceleration pedal control recommendations, making it convenient for them to make decisions. If the driver adopts a high standard of adaptive energy recovery mode, the vehicle can accurately adjust the recovery strength based on information such as vehicle speed and distance to the preceding vehicle, maximizing the range and achieving a balance between sports performance and efficiency. If the driver switches to the “B” gear, the BMW i7 will provide strong energy recovery force while also bringing unique one-pedal driving pleasure to the driver.
In the age of intelligence, the intelligent driving assistance functions of a vehicle have also become part of driving.
The BMW i7 is equipped with Pro autonomous driving assistance system, and the lane change assistance function is locally adjusted for Chinese users’ driving habits and road conditions, with the minimum starting speed lowered from 70 km/h to 30 km/h. In addition, the BMW i7 offers Pro automatic parking assistance system, with the memory of the path length for the trajectory reversing function upgraded from 50 meters to 200 meters, and up to 10 parking routes can be stored.
Currently, one of the shortcomings of electric vehicles is the limited energy supplement speed. BMW i7, on the other hand, focuses on strengthening this aspect. The BMW i7 supports a maximum power of 195 kW for direct current charging. This means that it only takes 10 minutes to charge and drive 170 kilometers (WLTP standard), greatly enhancing the charging experience.
In terms of performance metrics such as range, acceleration, and charging, the BMW i7’s performance is a classic work of the BMW eDrive group, whether compared longitudinally to the evolution process of electric vehicle technology or laterally to the performance of top electric vehicle companies. It is also the “flagship of the electric age.”
With the addition of the BMW i7, BMW presents a lineup of five pure electric vehicles in China, including the BMW iX, BMW i4, and domestically produced BMW iX3 and BMW i3.“`
In 2023, BMW Group will launch a new electric offensive, with 11 pure electric products available in China, including domestically produced BMW iX1, the long-awaited Rolls-Royce SPECTRE and BMW Motorrad CE04. The pure electric MINI three-door model will continue to be available in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwanese markets. By then, BMW will have the most complete pure electric product line in the luxury brand, covering almost all market segments.
Whether it’s personalized individual travel, family travel, or business travel, BMW has products to meet your needs. This all-out attack in 2023 is also very important for BMW.
Previously, according to the plan, BMW Group expects to deliver 2 million pure electric vehicles worldwide by 2025, and a new “NextGen” BMW model with a completely new architecture will be launched in the same year. By 2030, 50% of BMW Group’s sales will come from pure electric models, which will drive total sales of pure electric vehicles to 10 million. By then, Rolls-Royce, MINI brand, and BMW Motorrad urban travel series under BMW Group will also be fully electrified.
In order to prepare for this unprecedented electric offensive, BMW Group is well-prepared ahead of time, with power battery supply and sales channels.
In November of this year, BMW announced that its Shenyang production base will undergo a large-scale expansion of power battery production. The new power battery project is invested by BMW-Brilliance, with a total investment of about RMB 10 billion. In 2017, the BMW-Brilliance Power Battery Center was completed, and the second-phase project was completed in 2020. The fifth-generation power battery for BMW iX3 and BMW i3 is currently being produced there.
In addition, BMW Group has also prepared a sales network to support the most complete pure electric product line. As of the end of October, more than 600 BMW i brand certified dealer stores have been established. BMW has now provided new energy vehicle-related online training to all sales advisors of these dealers and certified more than 2,500 new energy technicians. BMW has now opened BMW i brand exclusive experience stores in Shenzhen and Chengdu, offering elite test drives, customized delivery, and other feature services to explore new service concepts in the electric era.
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You can expect BMW’s pure electric products in 2023, which will be continuously upgraded and diverse, and with the support of the supply chain, production, and distribution, the sales of BMW’s pure electric products will continue to rise.
Full-chain Carbon Reduction
The BMW Group is accelerating the development of electric vehicles in China, not only because of China’s enormous demand for electric vehicles but also because it aligns with the BMW Group’s sustainable development strategy.
In promoting its sustainable development strategy, the BMW Group is not only focused on producing electric vehicles, but also on the full-chain greening and carbon reduction, as only the full-chain greening and low-carbon operation can truly reduce carbon emissions. Adhering to the full-chain carbon reduction and circular economy concept, BMW’s goal is to manufacture the “greenest electric vehicles.”
At the upstream stage, the BMW Group has put forward sustainable development requirements for the selection, exploration, and smelting of raw materials. For example, in terms of electric motors, due to the environmental problems that may be caused by rare earth mining, the BMW Group has selected a magnet motor. Taking cobalt mines as another example, in order to avoid the use of child labor in mining in Congo, BMW directly purchases cobalt mines in Australia and Morocco.
Regarding the most commonly used steel materials, the BMW Group has teamed up with the Hegang Group to announce the gradual use of low-carbon automotive steel and green automotive steel in mass production, being the first in the industry.
In the midstream – the production field, the BMW Group has proposed the forward-looking BMW iFACTORY production strategy, focusing on “lean, green, and digital”. The strategy was officially launched in China as part of the large-scale upgrade project of the BMW-Brilliance Production Base (Rida Factory). Since the beginning of the construction, the Rida Factory was entirely planned and simulated in the virtual environment, and has a high degree of production flexibility, with the ability to achieve 100% electric vehicle production capacity at maximum.
In the downstream – the circulation field, BMW launched the “Leading the Creation of Green Stars” plan this year, bringing scientific, comprehensive, and executable solutions for carbon reduction for BMW dealers. Four aspects of “green energy, green operation, green environment, and green practice” were covered to make daily business more green and sustainable. It is expected that all franchised dealers will complete the “BMW Leading the Creation of Green Star” certification by the end of 2025.
At the downstream – the recycling and reuse field, the BMW Group has signed an agreement with Huayou Recycling, initiating an innovative cooperation model for closed-loop recycling and step-by-step utilization of power battery materials, successfully achieving the closed-loop recycling of domestically produced electric vehicle power battery raw materials for the first time.It can be said that BMW Group is truly committed to promoting carbon reduction across the entire value chain and practicing the concept of circular economy. BMW Group does not see the requirements of sustainable development as additional costs, but as an essential aspect of a luxury brand’s values. This corporate philosophy is BMW’s self-expectation and sets it apart from other companies.
In the first nine months of 2022, BMW Group sold a total of 128,200 electric BMW and MINI vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 114.8%, making it the fastest luxury brand to transition to electrification. As a century-old brand, BMW will not make a sudden turn when facing the electric vehicle market. However, once the direction is determined, BMW will be firm and systematic in its promotion to ensure the consistency between strategy and action.
“BMW Group has repeatedly demonstrated that it can handle challenging situations and is stronger than ever before,” said BMW Group Chairman Zipse. Facing the challenge of electrification, BMW Group is also fully prepared.
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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.