BMW recently completed a part of the audacious testing program for the electric i5 in the wintry conditions of Northern Europe and these prototypes provide us with camouflaged look at the forthcoming sedan.
We’ve known about the i5 for some time. Indeed, we first spotted a prototype being put through its paces way back in mid-2021. BMW says it recently finished a year of testing the i5 on ice and in snow, ending the program at its winter test center in Arjeplog, northern Sweden.
Testing the new BMW i5 prototype
During the early stages of testing, the BMW i5 completed a road trip from Munich to the Arjeplog testing center. This 3,000 km (1,850 mile) journey provided the marque with the opportunity to see how the motors, power electronics, battery, and heating and cooling systems functioned. As testing continued in Sweden throughout the course of 2022, BMW was also testing the sedan at its German facilities, as well as in Munich near the Dingolfing factory.
In the most recent round of testing in Sweden, BMW set about fine-tuning all powertrain and chassis control systems. These include a Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system that includes a near-actuator wheel slip limitation function and a drive torque control system to ensure the i5 “performs at least as proficiently as any conventionally powered model on ice and snow.”
Testing the new BMW i5 prototype
Technical specifications about the i5 are being kept under wraps but we know the brand will introduce a handful of different variants with varying power outputs. This will include an M variant produced in a similar vein to the i4 M50. We also recently learned that BMW will offer the i5 as a Touring, although this model won’t arrive until 2024.
BMW will lift the veil on the i5 in October at the same time that it introduces the rest of the eighth-generation 5-Series range.
Source: BMW
