At one stage the only manufacturer that was well and truly committed to making electric vehicles was Tesla. But now, as emission regulations are slowly choking the life out of internal combustion engines, the likes of Porsche, Jaguar and indeed BMW are increasingly offering alternatives to the American brand. Speaking of BMW, the German marque has recently confirmed that the next electric vehicle to form part of their portfolio will be the i4.
We first saw the i4 in i Vision Dynamics Concept guise back in 2017 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. While the BMW i8 and i3 are essentially two standalone models, the i4 will form part of the 4-Series lineup. According to MotorAuthority.com, the i4 will probably replace the 4-Series Gran Coupe.
So, what electric motor will be powering the i4? Well, the 80-kilowatt-hour battery power unit is expected to push out 523 horsepower (380 kW) and have a range of around 480 kilometres. 0-100 km/h will be dealt with in under 4 seconds and it will have a limited top speed of 193 km/h.
If you’re worried about fast charging options, BMW stated that the i4 will be able to make use of 150 kW fast chargers that will be able to charge the car from 0 – 80% in 35 minutes.
The battery that BMW will use in the i4 is the company’s fifth-generation design and is more compact (in terms of kWh) than previous batteries. Despite that, the batteries still come in at a substantial weight of 550 kilograms.
We can expect to see the i4 in 2021.
