Private & Exclusive / SME
The world is witnessing the launch of the first electric version of the all-electric BMW 5 Series, which has already passed the final endurance test.
The new BMW i5 has repeatedly demonstrated the electric powertrain’s stability and dynamic performance characteristics over the course of grueling test drives in winter conditions.
The test program on ice and snow lasted almost a year, from initial tests to the final stages of fine-tuning.
During extensive testing on country roads, highways and specially prepared test tracks, development engineers focused primarily on the car’s ability to drive in low temperatures and on surfaces that provide little grip.
The innovative transmission systems and chassis on board the new BMW i5 significantly improve traction, dynamics and driving stability, and nowhere is this more evident than in a solid blanket of snow, icy mountain roads or frozen lakes.
The dynamic winter test of the all-electric sedan at the BMW Group’s winter test center in Arjeplog, northern Sweden, demonstrated unrivaled strength and stability in extreme cold.
Especially after stress testing BMW eDrive technology, which operates continuously at extremely low temperatures.
As part of the production development process, the new BMW i5 was to prove its mettle for the first time in February 2022, when it completed a road trip from Munich to the BMW test center in Arjeplog.
Fully camouflaged, with a special hood, plastic inserts, grilles and makeshift headlights and taillights, the prototype of the all-electric BMW 5 Series takes off on a five-day test drive from the foothills of the Bavarian Alps to Denmark, then to the edge of the Arctic Circle in Swedish Lapland.
The nearly 3,000 km (1,850 mile) flight provided a golden opportunity for the engines, power electronics, high-voltage battery, integrated cabin heating and cooling system and battery pack to demonstrate their advanced level of readiness for a long-haul flight. With its advanced battery cell technology and intelligently controlled thermal management, the fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology – which has been further upgraded for the new BMW i5 – forms the basis for long distances and short charging times during breaks in flight, even in extreme emergency situations, weather conditions Cryogenic.
Arjeplog’s final destination also provided the development and test engineer team with the perfect place for their testing software. The snow-covered roads and frozen lakes of northern Sweden, with their vast expanses of ice, are an ideal environment to explore how chassis components, steering and braking systems, drive dynamics and driving stability interact with each other in the frigid outdoors. As a result, the foundation was laid for the reliable, assured and sporty handling of the new BMW i5 on the first Arjeplog test drives.
Test in everyday driving and on winter roads in the foothills of the Alps.
More testing followed over the course of 2022, both at other BMW Group test facilities and on daily drives in and around Munich, as well as near the BMW Group plant in Dingolfing. Where the task was to continue to improve the bodywork technology and acoustic characteristics under a variety of conditions, as well as to hone the drive unit’s power delivery, in order to produce a good driving experience at all times.
On the other hand, part of the development work was carried out deliberately during the colder months on icy and snowy roads in the foothills of the Alps. Last winter, BMW i5 prototypes that featured camouflage-less headlights were sent out to check the functionality and reliability of the transmission and chassis systems in extremely challenging road and weather conditions. BMW engineers were able to examine the current state of development first-hand with testing in Bavaria before it was time to return to endurance testing near the Arctic Circle in February 2023.
The BMW i5 is thrilling with its unrivaled handling on ice and snow.
The purpose of this second round of testing in Sweden was to fine-tune all the powertrain and chassis control systems. Thanks to the extremely stable low surfaces, the areas on the frozen lakes around Arjeplog were specially chosen to fine-tune the torque control system of the BMW i5, while the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) system, the near-actuator wheel slip reduction function, the control system in torque, so that each can interact and complement each other flexibly in different driving conditions.
