The boss of BMW’s M division has acknowledged that the company’s future electric models could use a simulated gearbox similar to what Hyundai has introduced in the new Ioniq 5 N.
BMW M has been working on its first fully-fledged EV for quite some time and has previously teased it sporting four electric motors. The performance it will offer will no doubt be breathtaking but chief executive Frank van Meel knows it can’t be only about outright speed. It will need to involve the driver and be a track-honed monster.
During a recent interview with Australian publication Which Car?, van Meel said that one of the big advantages of using a simulated gearbox like Hyundai has done with the Ioniq 5 N is that it will help those driving on the track to judge their speed.
Read: Quad-Motor BMW M i4 Prototype Continues Development
“I like the way they think,” van Meel said of Hyundai’s system. “If you need eight gears, I’m not sure but it’s one solution because what’s really clear is that if you drive on the track, and we always come from racing with M, there’s no time to look at the speedometer to see how fast you are going. So what you do is: you know the gear you’re in and you hear and feel the engine, and from the corner of your eye you can see the shifting lights if you’re approaching maximum revs. So actually, you always know ‘I’m in third gear.’ There’s no need to look down into the speedometer and if you look down two cars pass by you.”
Van Meel noted that you don’t get the same feeling in an EV with just one gear so it’s difficult to accurately determine how fast you are going. “One of the solutions might be to simulate gears or to have another acoustic feedback or even vibrations as a feedback. And those are things we’re looking into,” he added.
For now, little else is known about the first true EV from BMW M, excluding the mild i4 M50 and i5 M60. Van Meel noted that “it’s going to take a couple of years until it comes,” meaning the brand should have plenty of time to ensure it is just as engaging to drive as its ICE models.
