One of the biggest projects in Munich this year focuses on the next-generation BMW 7 Series. The luxurious limousine is seen as a reboot for the design language and one of the first vehicles to show us new design implementations, both inside and outside the vehicle. Yet, the G70 7 Series story will be much bigger than its design. For the first time ever, BMW will offer an all-electric 7 Series model.
Dubbed, so far, as the i7, the new EV limousine is based on the fifth generation platform which allows for both ICE and EVs.
Just like the BMW i4, due out in 2021, the electric 7 Series will not only carry the “i” moniker, but it will also feature different power outputs and battery packs. So for now, we’ve learned that we could see at least three different battery packs in the i7 which translates into three different models.
We don’t know the full details yet, but sources say that the capacity of the battery pack could start at 80 kWh (just like the i4) and go higher than 120 kWh. BMW is already working on its next-level batteries, the fifth-generation version offering even higher density than before. In real life, the range of the i7, with its largest battery pack, could travel as far as 700 km on a single charge.
“With the fifth generation of eDrive, our vehicles will be able to drive 550 to 700 kilometers on electric power, depending on the model,” former BMW CEO Harald Krueger said last year. “We will achieve this in the BMW i4 and the iNEXT.”
It’s fair to say that the 7 Series EV will see a similar range, if not higher.
As for the horsepower figure, it’s bound to be quite a powerful car, with at least 650 HP for its top model, thus probably making it one of the most powerful cars the Germans ever made.
The new G70 7 Series is scheduled to enter the market in late 2021 or early 2022, so the development process is well underway.
