The BMW i4: A Revolutionary Electric Vehicle

As I stepped into the BMW i4, I was immediately struck by its sleek and futuristic design. The car's interior is dominated by a massive screen that curves away from the center of the car, creating a sense of intimacy and focus on the driver. This is not just another electric vehicle, but a car that is designed to be driven, with every aspect of the driving experience carefully considered.

The i4's design is characterized by its use of blue highlight lines to denote key features, such as the skateboard battery pack that lies beneath the floor. The grille, normally a prominent feature on BMW cars, has been largely reduced in size and is instead covered in a blanked-out mesh. This gives the car a sense of subtlety and restraint, setting it apart from more conventionally styled electric vehicles.

As I took a closer look at the i4's exterior design, I noticed a number of other distinctive features that set it apart from its traditional BMW counterparts. The wheels are 21-inch Aero units, with a unique arrow-shaped design that helps to reduce drag and increase range. This is just one example of how BMW has designed the i4 to be an electric vehicle through and through.

One of the most striking aspects of the i4's exterior design is its use of super-thin l-shaped taillights, which add a touch of modernity and sophistication to the car's rear end. The badging on the car is also new, with an all-over transparent logo that gives the i4 a sense of airy lightness and friendliness.

As I continued my examination of the i4, I noticed some subtle but telling design cues that set it apart from more traditional BMW models. For example, the air intakes have been largely eliminated, since electric vehicles don't need cooling systems. Instead, these areas are used to house sensors and other electronic equipment that help to monitor the car's performance.

Inside the i4, I was struck by its sheer scope of innovation. The car features a highly advanced intelligence panel, which houses a range of sensors and monitoring equipment that help to optimize the driving experience. This includes features like sporty driving modes, climate control, and even bongs and jingles to signal when you're approaching certain milestones or events.

One aspect of the i4's interior design that may strike some readers as odd is its lack of bezels around the edge of the screen. In fact, there are barely any visible frames at all, since the entire faceplate is covered in a non-reflective glass material. This gives the car a clean and modern appearance that is both futuristic and forward-thinking.

Despite this minimalist aesthetic, the i4's interior still manages to convey a sense of comfort and usability. The seats, for example, are designed with squishy soft rounded contours that provide excellent support and cushioning. And while the boot space may be limited by comparison to more conventional BMW models, it is still spacious enough to accommodate most passengers and luggage needs.

As I sat in the i4, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation for what this car represents. The BMW i4 is not just another electric vehicle – it's a symbol of BMW's bold new direction and its commitment to innovation and progress. By combining cutting-edge technology with a focus on usability and practicality, the i4 sets itself apart from more conventional cars in its class.

One key aspect of the i4's development story is its roots in BMW's experimental I3 + I8 program. This was a series of projects designed to explore the technical and economic challenges of producing electric vehicles at scale. By drawing on lessons learned from these experiments, BMW has been able to create a car that is both incredibly capable and remarkably affordable.

The i4 will be built alongside traditional BMW models in Munich's factories, using existing production lines to minimize costs and maximize efficiency. This is a key part of BMW's strategy for the mass market electric vehicle segment – by leveraging its existing infrastructure and expertise, the company aims to make high-quality electric cars accessible to a wider audience.

With the i4, BMW has taken a bold step towards electrification that is unlikely to be reversed anytime soon. As the company continues to expand its range of electric models, one thing is clear: the future of motoring is bright and exciting, and the BMW i4 is leading the way.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: encan you believe it it's been six years since the BMW i8 arrived seven years since the i3 launched and now in 2020 BMW is ready to expand its eye portfolio with this the concept I for ice a concept because this is pretty much 85% the production car that you're going to be able to buy from next year gone is the really radical styling from the i3 and the i8 replaced it instead with a relatively conventional 4 Series Gran Coupe a body BMW I is going mainstream let's get straight to the numbers because the i-4 features BMWs fifth generation II drive technology what that means is an electric motor single speed gearbox and power electronics all housed in a single casing it's rear-wheel drive and a 550 kilogram 80 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery is spread under the floor the result is an m4 whirring 523 brake horsepower nought to 60 2 in 4 seconds and a WL TP range of 373 miles charging capacity is up to 150 kilowatts not as fast as a Tesla Model S or the Porsche ty can men but fast enough for naught to 80% in around 35 minutes let's dissect this design a little bit then and we'll start at the front where else with the grill if I can call it that actually has no air intake properties of course because this is an electric car doesn't need the cooling what it does is house a variety of sensors BMW calls it an intelligence panel I say it's not quite as scary as it was on the 4 Series Coupe a concept but still reminds me a bit of a pantomime Dame make of that what you will you'll also notice this blue highlight line that runs around the grille that is used on the exterior of the car to highlight the points that make it that denote it is an electric car so on the blanked out grille along the side sills suggesting the skateboard battery that's under the floor there and on the diffuser at the back where you'd normally have exhaust pipes moving on around the side yes 21 inch Aero I think this is gonna be a feature we're gonna see a lot more of on electric cars manufacturers making a design point of arrow wheels because if you can save precious drag in this area traditionally the most turbulent area on the car well then you can increase your range by a few precious miles carrying on and will fly past this area because that is where the car looks most conventional and come round the back just two more things I want to show you here the first is these super thin l-shaped taillights which look very crisp and very nice and the second is this the bads the BMW badge it's an all new BMW logo get up close and you'll see it's much more 2d than it was before and here it's got a transparent see-through application so you can see the paint color underneath that's because the I brand that's all about being friendly and airy and light and approachable this is the first time you've seen the logo and then it's going to be rolled out across other models so overall the I four different enough two petrol and diesel four series to give you that smug sense of satisfaction not different enough to make you stand out like a sore thumb where BMW has really gone to town though is what the sounds this car makes teaming up with legendary film composer Hans Zimmer it's created various sound worlds for the eye for that include increasingly sporty driving noises as you move through the sport efficient and core driving modes and various bongs and jingles when you open the door and push the buttons and no it won't play the theme tune to gladiator when you start it up we asked if the exterior of the i-4 is the I brand showing it's more restrained side well in here is letting its hair down a bit everything is dominated by this massive screen in front of you and you'll see the way it just curves away to the center of the car that so it's pointed orientated towards the driver the i-4 is the driver's electric BMW don't forget the eye next SUV that comes next year that's the one that's crammed with autonomous tech so what we got in front of me the instrument display over here this is the touchscreen and believe me everything is within the touchscreen you've got a crystal iDrive controller down here but everything including the climate control is up here on the screen and as we've seen in our B's that's not necessarily a good thing there's no bezel around the edge of the screen barely any bezel and there's definitely no shroud that's because it's covered in a non reflective glass so you simply don't need one and the rest of the interior well it's certainly pared back the vents here are pretty much invisible instead of a normal BMW gear leaver you've just got this subtly integrated toggle down here and these super squishy soft rounded seats with barely any stitching on display well that's because this car is modern and modern means minimalist you might imagine with this coupe a ish roofline and a battery under your feet that the back seats would be cramped but they're not this is a genuinely usable car although we suspect that notchback boot won't be massive the lobbying for an eye for touring starts here you get this sense with this car that it's the product of everything BMW learned and the financially challenging but technically brilliant I 3 + i8 experiment that if you want to make money from electric cars well you need to give them a more usable range and you need to make them more economically in existing factories which is why this will be built in Munich alongside the 3-series and for series only deviating from the production line to have its batteries and motors installed so BMWs assault on the evey mass market starts now this year we're going to get the mini e we're going to get the IX 3 later and then next year we're gonna have the i4 and the I next this is no longer just a toe in the water this is BMW pulling on its budgie smugglers and diving right in youcan you believe it it's been six years since the BMW i8 arrived seven years since the i3 launched and now in 2020 BMW is ready to expand its eye portfolio with this the concept I for ice a concept because this is pretty much 85% the production car that you're going to be able to buy from next year gone is the really radical styling from the i3 and the i8 replaced it instead with a relatively conventional 4 Series Gran Coupe a body BMW I is going mainstream let's get straight to the numbers because the i-4 features BMWs fifth generation II drive technology what that means is an electric motor single speed gearbox and power electronics all housed in a single casing it's rear-wheel drive and a 550 kilogram 80 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery is spread under the floor the result is an m4 whirring 523 brake horsepower nought to 60 2 in 4 seconds and a WL TP range of 373 miles charging capacity is up to 150 kilowatts not as fast as a Tesla Model S or the Porsche ty can men but fast enough for naught to 80% in around 35 minutes let's dissect this design a little bit then and we'll start at the front where else with the grill if I can call it that actually has no air intake properties of course because this is an electric car doesn't need the cooling what it does is house a variety of sensors BMW calls it an intelligence panel I say it's not quite as scary as it was on the 4 Series Coupe a concept but still reminds me a bit of a pantomime Dame make of that what you will you'll also notice this blue highlight line that runs around the grille that is used on the exterior of the car to highlight the points that make it that denote it is an electric car so on the blanked out grille along the side sills suggesting the skateboard battery that's under the floor there and on the diffuser at the back where you'd normally have exhaust pipes moving on around the side yes 21 inch Aero I think this is gonna be a feature we're gonna see a lot more of on electric cars manufacturers making a design point of arrow wheels because if you can save precious drag in this area traditionally the most turbulent area on the car well then you can increase your range by a few precious miles carrying on and will fly past this area because that is where the car looks most conventional and come round the back just two more things I want to show you here the first is these super thin l-shaped taillights which look very crisp and very nice and the second is this the bads the BMW badge it's an all new BMW logo get up close and you'll see it's much more 2d than it was before and here it's got a transparent see-through application so you can see the paint color underneath that's because the I brand that's all about being friendly and airy and light and approachable this is the first time you've seen the logo and then it's going to be rolled out across other models so overall the I four different enough two petrol and diesel four series to give you that smug sense of satisfaction not different enough to make you stand out like a sore thumb where BMW has really gone to town though is what the sounds this car makes teaming up with legendary film composer Hans Zimmer it's created various sound worlds for the eye for that include increasingly sporty driving noises as you move through the sport efficient and core driving modes and various bongs and jingles when you open the door and push the buttons and no it won't play the theme tune to gladiator when you start it up we asked if the exterior of the i-4 is the I brand showing it's more restrained side well in here is letting its hair down a bit everything is dominated by this massive screen in front of you and you'll see the way it just curves away to the center of the car that so it's pointed orientated towards the driver the i-4 is the driver's electric BMW don't forget the eye next SUV that comes next year that's the one that's crammed with autonomous tech so what we got in front of me the instrument display over here this is the touchscreen and believe me everything is within the touchscreen you've got a crystal iDrive controller down here but everything including the climate control is up here on the screen and as we've seen in our B's that's not necessarily a good thing there's no bezel around the edge of the screen barely any bezel and there's definitely no shroud that's because it's covered in a non reflective glass so you simply don't need one and the rest of the interior well it's certainly pared back the vents here are pretty much invisible instead of a normal BMW gear leaver you've just got this subtly integrated toggle down here and these super squishy soft rounded seats with barely any stitching on display well that's because this car is modern and modern means minimalist you might imagine with this coupe a ish roofline and a battery under your feet that the back seats would be cramped but they're not this is a genuinely usable car although we suspect that notchback boot won't be massive the lobbying for an eye for touring starts here you get this sense with this car that it's the product of everything BMW learned and the financially challenging but technically brilliant I 3 + i8 experiment that if you want to make money from electric cars well you need to give them a more usable range and you need to make them more economically in existing factories which is why this will be built in Munich alongside the 3-series and for series only deviating from the production line to have its batteries and motors installed so BMWs assault on the evey mass market starts now this year we're going to get the mini e we're going to get the IX 3 later and then next year we're gonna have the i4 and the I next this is no longer just a toe in the water this is BMW pulling on its budgie smugglers and diving right in you\n"