- The BMW M3 Electric will launch next year with four motors.
- BMW M boss Frank van Meel has confirmed it will leave behind the six-cylinder M3.
- The most powerful combustion-engine model is the 543-horsepower M3 CS.
The rise of electrification has taken the horsepower wars to a new dimension. Even the new AMG version of a relatively small car like the CLA now has nearly 700 hp. Its bigger brother, the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, makes more than 1,100 hp. Electric supercars and hypercars reach even deeper into four-figure territory, with some surpassing the 2,000-hp mark.
BMW says it could also extract huge amounts of power from the electric M3’s motors, but that’s not going to happen. in an interview with Bimmer TodayM boss Frank van Meel said it is technically possible to unlock one megawatt from four motors. In fact, proof of concept already exists, as the Wild Vision Driving Experience (VDX) was in the region of 1,341 hp. However, there are drawbacks to putting so much power into a production EV.
‘If I put more than a megawatt of power into a car, I can increase the speed a few times, but the temperature will start to rise and become a problem. This means that after that everything will collapse and you won’t be able to install as much cooling. We have to consider the overall concept and realize that it is not just about accessing some data; This is not sustainable. You certainly don’t need 1,000 hp or more.’
Photo by: BMW
While the BMW M chief didn’t elaborate on how much power the electric M3 will produce, he said it will surpass the combustion-engine model. The most powerful sports sedan ever built on the company’s 3 Series platform is the M3 CS with 543 hp. The fact they ruled out 1,000 hp means the electric M3 is unlikely to get close to that figure, so we’re betting it’ll have less than 900 hp. Of course, later derivatives, such as the CS, can kick things up a notch.
BMW has already announced that all of its electric M cars will have four motors providing all-wheel drive, with the ability to completely disconnect the front axle for a pure RWD setup. Deactivating the front motors when you don’t need full power should also improve efficiency. In the M3, the quad motors will draw their juice from a special lithium-ion battery pack with a usable energy content of more than 100 kWh.
During the interview, the M CEO assured conservatives that the gas-fueled M3 will remain with the next-generation model. Frank Van Meel didn’t say when the six-cylinder version would arrive, but we’re unlikely to see it before 2028 at the earliest. The S58 engine powering the current car has already been updated with new pre-chamber ignition technology to meet Euro 7 emissions, so its future is secure. This also means that the M2 and M4 are still years ahead of them as two-door sports cars that use the same engine.
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Source: BMW
Motor1’s Opinion: While headline-grabbing output figures may boost sales, BMW wants to make power more manageable and sustainable. The electric M3 won’t be a single trick that prioritizes power above everything else as that would impact day-to-day usability. Instead, it will be an all-rounder like gas-powered cars, but with a whole new recipe made possible by the quad-motor setup.
Since it won’t replace the six-cylinder model, but will stand alongside it, buyers will still have a choice. This is the best way to please both parties, although I’m sure some people won’t like the idea of an electric M3 using the same name as the long-running combustion-engine model.
