[cpt]

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Aside from all the first drive reviews that came out yesterday, a few technical details disclosed by BMW seemed to be relatively under-reported but equally as interesting.

First we have the eDrive40 and M60 power curves (via paultan.org), in 3 different modes: Personal/Sport/Boost.

For the eDrive40, Boost mode offers a quite noticeable increase of power. For example at around 60km/h, power went from ~225kW to ~245kW, a 9% increase. On the other hand, Boost mode in the M60 has a very minor impact and it's only visible near 60km/h.





A few more slides attached showing the charging dynamics, battery layout, and motor design details. (via Out of Spec Reviews) A few observations from my untrained eye:

- Compared to the iX charge curve which is stepped, the i5 starts at a higher charging power (205kW) and the rolloff is a smooth curve. The smooth curve most likely would result in a better trade off between charging speed and battery longevity.

- With the i5, instead of following a fixed charging power vs. SOC curve, charging power can now begin at near peak regardless of SOC starting point. For example, when charging a half-empty battery (SOC = 50%), instead of starting at a rate of 120kW, the i5 allows for 200kW at the beginning of charge and rolls off from there. Judging by the area difference in the plot, this represents an almost 40% reduction in charge time! (from 50% to 80% SOC) Edit: this feature seems to be also available on other models via an OTA update.

- From the battery cell layout diagram, it's clear that BMW is fully utilizing the drive-shaft tunnel (rear floor hump) by stuffing 2 smaller battery modules in there. It's still a compromise due to chassis-sharing, but at least we know the space isn't wasted.

[note46]

That charging curve is what I've been getting on my i4 eD40 ever since the last OTA 03/2023.53. It's an awesome change to the original charging curve!

[hotrod182]

The i5 edrive 40 gains about 20kW of power in sport/boost. The M60 gains about 58kW. I wouldn't say the M60 gain is the one with the negligible gain when changing modes.

[Savage_M3]

I assume "Recuperation Power" is Regenerative Braking? In which case, how does 198kW compare to Tesla and others? I believe it's a fair bit higher than what Tesla claims.

[note46]

Originally Posted by hotrod182

The i5 edrive 40 gains about 20kW of power in sport/boost. The M60 gains about 58kW. I wouldn't say the M60 gain is the one with the negligible gain when changing modes.

M60 gains 62KW 442-380= 62

The 20kw of gain is meh. It's the same power as the i4 eDrive40 without boost. 250kw = 335hp which is the rating for i4 eDrive40.

[julienjj]

I'd be more worried about the fact that BMW doesn't sell any single parts to repairs those motors.
9000$+ repairs for a bad 25$ bearings isn't the deal of the century

Virtually all the base BMW models in north america have switch to be xdrive as standard, but for the i5 xdrive is paywalled beind the M model, it makes 0 sense.

I would wait for the obvious LCI model that will have NACS. CCS1 models will take a massive depreciation hit when that happens.

[Semicolin82]

Originally Posted by julienjj

I'd be more worried about the fact that BMW doesn't sell any single parts to repairs those motors.
9000$+ repairs for a bad 25$ bearings isn't the deal of the century

Virtually all the base BMW models in north america have switch to be xdrive as standard, but for the i5 xdrive is paywalled beind the M model, it makes 0 sense.

I would wait for the obvious LCI model that will have NACS. CCS1 models will take a massive depreciation hit when that happens.

There’s an x drive e40 launching in April of 2024 with 400 hp similar to the i4

[TheStanman]

Originally Posted by julienjj

I would wait for the obvious LCI model that will have NACS. CCS1 models will take a massive depreciation hit when that happens.

Everyone should be leasing, not buying, an i5 (or any EV for that matter). All EVs are going to continue seeing massive depreciation over the next several years. Not only are new models getting better, but new prices are dropping rapidly, which is killing used values. All industry data shows this will only get worse. NACS vs CSS is a small factor, but can be solved with the new adapters. Additionally, leasing is the only way to get $7500 tax credit.

As noted above, base xDrive will be coming.

[Scrapula]

I could possibly lease with a buyout. This should be the last car I purchase. I retire at 70 and will be 67 this year. This gives me 3 years to pay off the car, or lease the do a buyout from my 401k.