Woah, the BMW i4 EV will get 526bhp

Well, colour us interested. BMW reckons the drive technology in its upcoming i4 electric four-door coupe thingy will set “new standards in terms of power density, efficiency and range in locally emissions-free driving”.

And thus, ladies and gentlemen, we have confirmation that this i4 will boast a motor and battery setup kicking out some 526bhp. You don’t need us to remind you – as indeed BMW itself does – that 526bhp is the same sort of power as one of its V8-engined cars.

We’re promised a “spontaneous power delivery” from that redesigned (ie, flat) high-voltage battery. BMW tells us the 80kWh battery weighs 550kg… which is just shy of an entire Ariel Atom 4. It’ll charge up to 80 per cent of its capacity in around 35 minutes using a 150kW charger, which equates to six minutes for 62 miles.

Before it arrives in the i4, however, this ‘fifth generation’ battery tech will appear in the iX3, iNext and then the i4, in 2021. The design of the new battery pack means BMW has been given “a high degree of freedom in realising a model-specific design”… which isn’t necessarily good news.

But, it’s a four-door coupe, 3 and 4 Series sized, with – promises BMW – easy ingress and egress points, and a spacious interior.

More as we have it…