BMW develops new flexible electric vehicle platform

What is more, where is the novelty? BMW’s CLAR platform - the architecture underpinning virtually every model from the 3 Series upwards - already offers the option of choosing between electric and combustion power. The first illustration of this approach is the iX3, the fully electric version of the X3, with the production versions of the iNext and i4 due to follow shortly.

It is worth remembering that, unlike rivals such as the Volkswagen Group, which created the MEB and is developing the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) through Porsche and Audi exclusively for electric vehicles, BMW chose a multi-energy platform strategy, as did the PSA Group.

However, following this announcement by BMW chief executive Oliver Zipse, it must be assumed that CLAR has certain limitations in relation to the BMW Group’s future electric ambitions, hence the development of this new platform.

BMW’s new platform and electric vehicle demand

The new architecture will be designed primarily for electric vehicles. Zipse acknowledges that demand for electric cars will rise sharply from the middle of the next decade, although he adds an important qualification.

While he expects BMW customers to purchase more models fitted with electric motors than combustion engines by around 2025, demand for the latter will remain. He also notes that some markets are not embracing electrification as rapidly as Europe or China. This is his rationale for the extra flexibility required from the new architecture, which, according to Zipse, will make its model debut in 2025.

BMW production in Debrecen, Hungary

Vehicles based on this new platform are expected to enter production at BMW’s new plant in Debrecen, Hungary. The factory has not yet been completed - the pandemic delayed its construction timetable - but, when it opens, apparently in 2021, it will build up to 150,000 vehicles annually and employ more than 1,000 people on site.

This is not BMW’s first dedicated electric platform

In fact, BMW was among the pioneers in developing a platform dedicated to electric vehicles. The BMW i3 uses a unique structure tailored to the specific requirements of an electric powertrain, but it is very costly and lacks the best flexibility - being a pioneer comes with risks.

Furthermore, its aluminium and carbon-fibre construction - exceptionally stiff and lightweight in order to offset the additional battery mass - does not help on the cost front, despite all the progress the German manufacturer has made in mass-producing carbon fibre.

BMW’s decision to pursue an architecture that prioritises an electric powertrain while still accommodating combustion engines is understandable. From a cost perspective, it makes sense: it provides a single platform whose different powertrains can nevertheless share the same production line. During this transitional period, that flexibility may prove highly useful - after all, the world is not electrifying the motor car at the same pace everywhere, and BMW is a global player.

Source: Auto Motor und Sport.