BMW is reportedly working on a fully electric car under the i7 moniker, which could arrive on the market somewhere around 2022, according to one of our sources in Munich. The news is not necessarily surprising though as the Germans have filed for trademark on the i7 name (along with several others, up to i9) as far back as 2012. However, they had to renew it last year as the car hadn’t been launched yet and it seems like this time we’re going to get to see it come to life.
Apparently, the i7 is shaping up to be the equivalent of an electric 7 Series. What exactly that means remains to be seen as not a lot is know about it at the moment but since our source says it’s going to arrive around 2022, it may very well be an electric version of the upcoming 7er, which is also bound to arrive around that time. What’s even more impressive is that the engineers are working round the clock to make sure that this time customers won’t be disappointed in the range the car offers.
Considering the size it would have to have, to fit in the same segment as the 7 Series, that’s going to involve a rather heavy set of batteries and some powerful electric motors. BMW is already working on its next-level batteries, the fifth-generation version offering even higher density than before. Furthermore, with research from its participation in Formula E leading to more efficient electric motors, the 600-kilometer (384 miles) range goal that has been set right now – according to the new WLTP testing procedure – could be achieved.
As for the horsepower figure, it’s bound to be quite a powerful car, with around 650 HP to be offered to prospective owners to play with, thus probably making it one of the most powerful cars the Germans ever made. There’s still a long way to go though and chances are a lot of changes will be done to the project until it becomes reality but it’s interesting to see what BMW is looking into right now and what could be offered to the average customer in the future.
