BMW plans next-generation electric cars

Automobile Magazine reports that BMW engineers are already hard at work at planning and developing the next generation electric cars. The same report says that the efforts directed to this are under the codename Project i20.

Rumor has it that BMW is already preparing a future i5 or i6 electric car and they plan to launch it in 2021. The drivetrain of the car will be purely electric. However, it will also have the most advanced autonomous capability features that the world has ever seen from BMW. If you’re already impressed at the BMW i3 and i8 models, think bigger.

Project i20 will be an evolution of the hybrid aluminum/steel structure that’s current used in BMW vehicles. A lot of carbon fiber parts will also be used for lightweight construction. To improve on what they’ve already done, BMW will also make the materials and process more cost-efficient so that they can scale the production.

A choice of electric motors will be available for Projecti20. This includes a 136 hp to a 247 hp, four-wheel drive, a low center of gravity, and an extremely tight turning circle motor. In terms of design, it will be bigger than the i3 and more good-looking.

BMW’s next i3 is also on the map and now scheduled for 2022. BMW is allegedly evaluating three proposals for the car, one of which emulates the current car’s carbon-fiber construction, another uses all-aluminum construction, and the third features a blend of five or six materials.

In 2022-2023, we also expect to see the replacement of the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid. The current one is powered by a three-cylinder, range-extending internal combustion engine. For the successor, this engine will be replaced with three high-revving (25,000rpm) electric motors that produces a total of 750 horsepower. It will also have more potent batteries to reach a 300-mile range. The package will also include a four-wheel drive mechanism, four-wheel steering, torque vectoring, and an active suspension system that has the ability to scan the road ahead.

Based on these features alone, it may just be the supercar we’ve all been waiting for.

A fully autonomous model is also planned for 2025. The future is bright for BMWs electric cars.