Report: BMW's Luxo-barge Sedan to Gain Some Big Batteries

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

With Europe quickly going the Greta route, stately sedans with eight- and 12-cylinder engines are an endangered species. Actually, sedans as a whole fit that bill, and increasingly stringent emissions regulations aren’t making the task of developing and selling these vehicles any easier.

With this in mind, BMW seems to have a solution for the 7 Series’ continued viability: offer it in a fully electric variant, with range to match its status.

According to sources who spoke to BMW Blog, the next-generation 7 Series will give buyers the option of dispensing with gasoline altogether. Dubbed the i7, a moniker BMW trademarked years ago, the electrified 7 Series will reportedly boast two battery sizes ⁠— each one of them generous.

Expected to arrive alongside the next-gen 7 Series in 2022, the i7 will apparently offer 100 kWh and 120 kWh battery packs, each good for a driving range of roughly 360 miles on the WLTP cycle. The basic unit powering the i7 is said to be good for 550 horsepower; the larger unit, found in the i7S, will feed current to electric motors totalling about 670 hp.

Riding atop a newer version of the existing modular CLAR platform, the i7 could boast a number of electric motors, though two would seem the bare minimum for all-wheel drive versions. The compact drive units expected to appear in this sedan will first show up in products like the i4 and iX3.

As rumors mount about Bimmer’s big-car EV gambit, the conditions propelling the switch away from gas aren’t going away. By the time such a vehicle appears on the scene, Jaguar will already have an all-electric XJ sedan on the market, with Mercedes-Benz following suit with an EV S-Class called the EQS. Unlike the Jag, however, Bimmer and Benz have no intention of not offering up conventional gas-powered versions of its range-toppers, especially for those living in North America.

[Image: BMW]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Jmo Jmo on Sep 24, 2019

    Question: Musk's great business insight was to market EVs as a luxury and performance technology. As we can see BMW misfired with it's EV penalty box i3. If EVs had initially been offered as a luxury and performance tech would there still be so much B&B hate? Or is the hate almost exclusively the result of Luddism?

    • Master Baiter Master Baiter on Sep 24, 2019

      Tesla got a number of things right, which is why cars like the Jaguar i-Pace and Audi E-Tron are languishing while Tesla sales are pretty respectable: 1. Dedicated EV platforms. 2. Fully integrated systems. Other manufacturers are trying to buy a motor from Company A, a battery from company B, a controller from Company C, etc. The result is poor overall Wh/mile efficiency compared to Tesla. 3. Superchargers.

  • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Sep 24, 2019

    If the i7 doesn't have 48V and full multiplexing, we will know that BMW are Luddites along with the rest of the industry.

  • Ajla Those letters look like they are from AutoZone.
  • Analoggrotto Kia EV9 was voted the best vehicle in the world and this is the best TOYOTA can do? Nice try, next.
  • 3-On-The-Tree 4cyl as well.
  • Luke42 I want more information about Ford’s Project T3.The Silverado EV needs some competition beyond just the Rivian truck. The Cybertruck has missed the mark.The Cybertruck is special in that it’s the first time Tesla has introduced an uncompetitive EV. I hope the company learns from their mistakes. While Tesla is learning what they did wrong, I’ll be shopping to replace my GMC Sierra Hybrid with a Chevy, a Ford, or a Rivian — all while happily driving my Model Y.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I wished they wouldn’t go to the twin turbo V6. That’s why I bought a 2021 Tundra V8.
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