(Motorsport-Total.com/Motor1) – The advance of electrification has taken the performance race to a completely new dimension. Even a relatively compact car like the Mercedes CLA now reaches almost 700 hp in its new AMG version. The bigger brother, the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, delivers more than 1,100 hp. Electric super- and hypercars push even deeper into the four-digit range, some even exceeding the mark of 2,000 hp.
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BMW explains that absurdly high power outputs can also be extracted from the motors of the electric M3 – but this will not happen. In an interview with Bimmer Today, M boss Frank van Meel said it is technically possible to release one megawatt from the four electric motors. There is already a corresponding technology demonstrator: the radical Vision Driving Experience (VDX) reached around 1,340 hp. However, packing such high power into a series electric car has disadvantages.
“If I pack more than one megawatt of power into a car, I can accelerate strongly a few times, but then the temperature rises and becomes a problem. That means everything collapses afterwards, and you can’t install that much cooling. We have to look at the overall concept and realize that it’s not just about achieving certain numbers; that is not sustainable. You definitely don’t need 1,000 hp or more.”
Power above the combustion M3, but well below 1,000 hp
How much power the electric M3 will actually have, the BMW M boss did not reveal. However, he said it will surpass the combustion engine. The most powerful sports sedan the company has built so far based on the 3 Series is the M3 CS with 550 hp#b. That van Meel clearly rules out 1,000 hp suggests that the electric M3 will probably not even come close to this value. Our assessment: It will probably stay under 900 hp.
Four electric motors, all-wheel drive and switchable front axle
BMW has already announced that all electric M models will have four motors and thus all-wheel drive. The front axle should be fully decouplable to enable a pure rear-wheel drive setup. Switching off the front motors should also improve efficiency when full power is not needed. In the M3, the four motors draw their energy from a specially developed lithium-ion battery pack with a usable energy content of more than 100 kWh.
The inline-six M3 remains in the lineup
In the conversation, the M CEO also assured that the classic M3 with combustion engine will continue in a next generation. When the version with six-cylinder will appear, Frank van Meel did not say, but it is hardly to be expected before 2028. What is clear, however, is that the next M3 will not be a plug-in hybrid. This means it takes a different path than the current M5, but also than the main competitor Audi RS 5.
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The S58 engine of the current model was recently revised with a new pre-chamber ignition to meet the Euro 7 emissions standard – its future is thus considered secure. This also means that M2 and M4 still have many years ahead, as the two-door sports models use the same engine.
Motor1 says: Power figures that mainly make headlines may indeed boost sales, but BMW wants to make power controllable and sustainable. The electric M3 will not be a one-trick pony that puts power above all else – because that would impair everyday usability. Instead, it is intended to become an all-rounder, just like the gasoline-powered models before it, only with a completely new concept made possible by the four-motor drive.
Since it does not replace the six-cylinder but is offered alongside it, buyers retain the choice. That is probably the best way to satisfy both camps – even if not everyone will be happy that the electric M3 carries the same name as the long-standing combustion model.
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Source: Bimmer Today
