WhichCar.com, an Australian automotive website, reports that BMW is investigating ways to improve feedback for drivers of its forthcoming electric M vehicles. BMW M Chief Executive Officer Frank van Meel praised the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N’s “simulated gear changes” in an interview with the site. It has been speculated that BMW may implement auditory or kinaesthetic feedback in its first electric vehicle to bear the M moniker. In the future, BMW M electric cars will appear more like their gas-powered counterparts. The team concluded after realising that most electric vehicles (EVs), even those designed for speed, lacked the sensory input necessary for driving on a racetrack. Unique features of the new 641-hp Hyundai Ioniq 5 N include the ability to simulate the gear shifts and exhaust notes of a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. BMW M CEO Frank van Meel approves of Hyundai’s approach, including what some would consider trickery. In addition, he revealed to WhichCar.com, an Australian automotive news outlet, that BMW is considering a similar move to enhance the performance of its first fully electric M car. BMW has confirmed that it is testing a quad-motor prototype based on a widebody i4 (as seen above) but has yet to reveal the name of the forthcoming electric vehicle to bear the M label. The German firm claims that installing motors in each wheel can more precisely distribute power and immediately transmit force to the wheels that need it. While gas-powered vehicles are incapable of such a feat, van Meel maintains that electric performance vehicles lack the “feel of speed” offered by their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. According to an interview he gave to WhichCar.com, he said, “If you’re driving an electric car with only one gear that makes a sound over seven octaves, you don’t know if you’re in the middle [of the revs] and if that’s the same as 145 km/h or not.” This prevents it from functioning correctly. What to do about it is something we must determine. It has been speculated that BMW is considering mimicking gear changes, similar to Hyundai’s N-e-shift, by making noises or moving the steering wheel. No one knows what will cause such sounds to be produced or if they will resemble a high-revving V-8 or one of the brand’s famed straight-six engines like the one found in an E90 M3. We can only speculate as to BMW’s plans for electric performance vehicles, but we know they are currently dissatisfied with the state of the industry.
