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As part of its move to a more sustainable future, in 2022 BMW will unveil a new all-electric luxury saloon – the BMW i7. Based on the same vehicle concept as all further model variants of the BMW 7 Series, it also delivers elegance, ride comfort and supremacy, but with a purely electric drive system.
As per the standard series development process, the BMW i7 is currently undergoing driving dynamics testing at the BMW Group winter test centre in Arjeplog, Sweden. Just miles away from the Arctic Circle, engineers find the frozen surfaces and snowy conditions of the controlled test area provide the the ideal conditions for testing and applying the all drive and suspension systems.
With the test programme held in the biting cold, this extreme testing process allows BMW to rediscover the meaning of luxury driving pleasure. As this will be the first time to experience BMW dynamics and comfort in the luxury class with zero local emissions when driving.
This testing process also includes performance-oriented tuning of the wheel suspension, springs, dampers and various regulating systems to match the various different drive types.
The intensive testing under extreme climate conditions and amongst Lapland’s winter landscape with snow-covered roads , gives the test engineers the perfect preconditions for this. Moreover, they make use of frozen lakes for testing, with their low road friction coefficient, in order to achieve particularly fine tuning of suspension control systems.
The winter programme also focuses in particular on the components of the all-electric drive system. The BMW i7’s electric drive, high-voltage battery, power electronics and charging technology all originate from the fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology. Above all, it is the motor, the battery and the temperature control system of the BMW i7 that show their worth and high level of maturity, especially when considering the extreme sub-zero temperatures in the north of Sweden.
