BMW M could borrow ‘controversial feature’ from Hyundai N

BMW M could borrow a controversial feature from Hyundai as it looks to make its first dedicated electric performance car as driver-focused as possible.

BMW M’s first ‘full fat’ EV is currently in development – a hardcore, quad-motor prototype based on the i4 was teased earlier this year – and company boss Frank van Meel has revealed M is exploring a number of new features to ensure it feels and drives like a proper M car.

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One of these features is a ‘simulated gearbox’, similar to what Hyundai N has fitted to the Ioniq 5 N.

Electric cars typically have single ratio gearboxes (the Porsche Taycan is an exception with two), but the Ioniq 5 N has a mode that mimics an eight-speed dual-clutch and allows the driver to shift up and down the ‘gears’ via paddles on the steering wheel.

Hyundai’s feature even momentarily cuts power to the electric motors so the driver feels a ‘jolt’ when shifting, just like they would in a petrol-powered car.

“I like the way they think,” said van Meel when asked about the Ioniq 5 N’s ‘gearbox’. “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."

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BMW XM is M's second bespoke model; uses a V8 hybrid powertrain

"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.

“So you need that feedback because if you're driving in an electric car with just one gear, making some kind of sound over seven octaves, you don't know if you're in the middle [of the revs] and if that's the equal to 145km/h or wherever you are. So that actually will not work. And we need a solution for that.

“And 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.”

BMW M already makes a number of M Performance electric models – the i4 M50 and i5 M60 are examples – but van Meel says a full-blown M car is more challenging to create.

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BMW i4 M50

Repeatability of performance, thermal management of the battery and motors, and keeping weight as low as possible are key challenges

“On the M Performance cars it’s possible because it’s giving more performance to series production cars,” he said, “but for high performance models its a little bit more complicated because we're not only building cars that are developed on the race track, actually they should perform on the race track and that's a little bit more complicated.”

Repeatability of performance, thermal management of the battery and motors, and keeping weight as low as possible are key challenges says van Meel, but he’s confident M’s first EV will appeal to keen drivers.

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“You can rest assured that we will have a solution for racing and create high performance vehicles that will make you happy.”

As for when BMW M’s first EV will be revealed?

“It’s going to take a couple of years until it comes,” said van Meel. “But it’s going to take place this decade.”