4 Series (G22) [Official] BMW i4 (G26)

[Deleted member 1071]

Really, where are the billions BMW is spending on R&D in BEVs? Spending billions to buy battery cells off the shelves don't really count as R&D in my book. Neither is coming up with a jacked up ICE vehicle with a battery screwed on count as investment in EV.

But maybe I am just unaware and they really are spending billions in battery tech and electric drivetrain R&D... in which case, I am sure, the investment will bear fruit soon and BMW will come up with brilliant, competitive EVs and in that case my point does not really apply, which again for probably the 4th time is - a company is not going to survive long on past glory, unless current products are competitive. To elaborate more - if BMW does make competitive EVs, the point doesn't really apply to them. But if the hope is - "We are BMW, we can get away with mediocre products cause of our past glory", I think they are in for a rude awakening.


Even more reason, people will want the best and not just one with some past glory attached to it?

Brand loyalty may well become a rapidly diminishing equity in light of the current upheaval in the automotive industry.

 

[M.N.D]

Obviously thinking is not your business

@CrunchSlaughtered @Steven21

If you gentlemen would like to have a discussion, it'd be good to maintain a civil tone, and there's no need for insults or direct attacks.

 

[agem]

A little glimpse at the interior:

 

[SCOTT27]

“Curve” your enthusiasm.

 

[dalab]

, we can get away with mediocre products

Why you assume that?, if no one drives it yet and on the contrary, it has a similar range to the best EVs, it is an attractive new model and according to the concept the interior will be better, if the handling qualities of its brothers "4" are something to take into account, I think we would have to wait a bit before defenestrating it

Do not forget that they have been making electric cars since 2013, something they should know

 

[Levi68]

The car sits so high - guess from shoving a battery at the bottom of a normal car.

Yes, it is like the Lexus UX BEV compared to ICEV, or even the Polestar 2.

And where exactly is this added value?

The badge?

 

[agem]

The normal X3 is actually taller than the electric iX3 (it's lower for aerodynamic purposes). The i4 has a flat battery pack, unlike the Polestar 2, i4's battery pack has a similar form factor as Lucid Air's pack:

 

[Sunny]

Why you assume that?, if no one drives it yet and on the contrary, it has a similar range to the best EVs, it is an attractive new model and according to the concept the interior will be better, if the handling qualities of its brothers "4" are something to take into account, I think we would have to wait a bit before defenestrating it

You are taking me out of context - I am not assuming that. That is why there was an if - "But if the hope is - "We are BMW, we can get away with mediocre products cause of our past glory", I think they are in for a rude awakening."

Also, I am not talking about any one car but BMW's general effort towards EVs which at least from outside, to me looks very half hearted. I might be wrong and happy to be.

 

[klier]

Also, I am not talking about any one car but BMW's general effort towards EVs which at least from outside, to me looks very half hearted. I might be wrong and happy to be.

Let's call it a transitional phase and hope, as fans, they come out alright when all cars in the world are exhaust pollution free. A brand like BMW will have to find some niche to stay relevant when every car is driven by the same electric drivetrain.

The normal X3 is actually taller than the electric iX3 (it's lower for aerodynamic purposes). The i4 has a flat battery pack, unlike the Polestar 2, i4's battery pack has a similar form factor as Lucid Air's pack:

Interesting. Lucid's seems the biggest and fattest. BMW's pack looks actually pretty slim, but then again I am no expert at all and really have no idea. All I know is the e-Golf and e-208 look batshit ridiculous, you don't have to be an expert to see that....

The iX3 sitting lower might be easier because it's an SUV with higher ground clearance to begin with. And we'll have to wait and see how high the 4er GC sits, then compare it to the i4, and then maybe draw conclusions about the ride height of the i4 vs it's ICE counterpart when we have an official measurement sheet.

The car sits so high - guess from shoving a battery at the bottom of a normal car.

You guess or you know? Because quite frankly (not directed at you btw, you know I love you) I am getting a little nauseous of all the guessing and people who claim to be BEV technical experts and post complete nonsense as fact without anyone calling them out for it..

 

[Sunny]

You guess or you know?

My post clearly says "guess", right? And I guessed based on the video below that @Bridster posted - which makes a compelling case - decide for yourself -

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Can also clearly see it here -

as fans, they come out alright

That, we can agree on.

The i4 has a flat battery pack, unlike the Polestar 2, i4's battery pack has a similar form factor as Lucid Air's pack

I don't think it is just about the pack being flat, but also how does it attach to the chassis. The i4, from the video above, looks like it hangs from the bottom of the chassis.
Lucid pack on the other hand sits inside or rather part of the chassis.

 

[mini_cooper4]

A little glimpse at the interior:

Yes, the shirt is quite transparent but the bra isn't.

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

I remember Enl saying that the shared platform of BMW brings also increased height for the ICE models (compared to an eventually only ICE platform). It was something like 12 mm if I remember correctly.

 

[agem]

I don't think it is just about the pack being flat, but also how does it attach to the chassis. The i4, from the video above, looks like it hangs from the bottom of the chassis.
Lucid pack on the other hand sits inside or rather part of the chassis.

That depends on the manufacturer. It's for the side impact protection of the battery cells. Some give more side support for the battery pack and some less. Audi electric PPE platform:

e-tron

 

[agem]

I am actually surprised how close the battery modules are to the side skirt in the Lucid Air.

 

[Sunny]

Some give more side support for the battery pack and some less. Audi electric PPE platform:

From what I can see in cutaways - If it is a dedicated EV platform, the side protection is part of the skateboard platform itself.
And if it is not a dedicated EV platform and the battery pack is screwed on to a conventional chassis, you have can see the additional protection that is part of the pack itself.

I am actually surprised how close the battery modules are to the side skirt in the Lucid Air.

I think, you are not seeing the full picture, literally -

 

[agem]

From what I can see in cutaways - If it is a dedicated EV platform, the side protection is part of the skateboard platform itself.
And if it is not a dedicated EV platform and the battery pack is screwed on to a conventional chassis, you have can see the additional protection that is part of the pack itself.


I think, you are not seeing the full picture, literally -

I still think that battery modules are closer to the outside than on Porsche Taycan for example. These are engineering differences between manufactures. I guess Taycan's battery pack is stiffer than Lucid's (less metal on Lucid's pack) so it can be used more as a structural element. But of course, I'm just rambling here, not a battery pack engineer.

 

[hovabongZA]

I still think that battery modules are closer to the outside than on Porsche Taycan for example. These are engineering differences between manufactures. I guess Taycan's battery pack is stiffer than Lucid's (less metal on Lucid's pack) so it can be used more as a structural element. But of course, I'm just rambling here, not a battery pack engineer.

Thanks for the information you’re sharing here quite detailed, really appreciate it.

 

[Matski]

At the end of the day, whatever your reference plane for the 'floor' of the car is, a fat wedge of batteries is either going to impinge on the cabin, or it's going to reduce the ground clearance, or it's going to make the vehicle taller overall - irrespective of a dedicated platform, the question is more where do the manufactures choose to compromise... I think until we get a decent set of specs it's perhaps not really worth trying to determine where those compromises may be from brand to brand - further, I'd suggest until the ICE G26 is released it won't be evident where BMW specifically chose to compromise.

I think it's likely that if BMW had fitted the i4 with Precept like 22" wheels instead of 19's, and had fitted resculpted arches to the body work, there'd be little visual difference to even debate anyway.

 

[agem]

And even if it ends up being taller that doesn't mean it's because it's on shared platform but because it's an EV.
The ID.3 is 11.2 cm taller than the Golf:

 

[Matski]

The ID.3 is 11.2 cm taller than the Golf:

The question there would be, how does the ground clearance compare, and how does the interior space compare. If they're the same, you could conclude the battery adds 11.2cm to the height of the vehicle irrespective of how dedicated the platform is.