BMW M Has Been Developing An EV Prototype Called The ‘Beast’ Since 2018
- The engineering team has been tasked with taming an unruly, all-electric M2 “beast.”
- The quad-motor powertrain developed in-house produces up to 1,341 hp in early testing.
- BMW’s first all-electric M car will be underpinned by the innovative Neue Klasse platform.
BMW’s M division has been experimenting with EVs for many years now, and as the development of its first electric vehicle continues, it has provided insight into one of the many prototypes that have played an instrumental role in making the Neue Klasse M3 a reality.
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In 2018, BMW formed a team of engineers who have taken a first-generation M2 and turned it into an EV. The car, known internally as ‘The Beast,’ is “super powerful.” While we don’t know precisely how much power it has, Michael Sailer from the functional development team for BMW M driving dynamics, says it’s very hard to control as it doesn’t have the calmness of production-spec M models.
Read: BMW M Teases A Hot Neue Klasse M3 EV
Not to fear. The boss of BMW M, Frank Van Meel, says that it’s the company’s job to start with an uncontrollable beast early in the development stage and then to make it controllable. This is precisely what it did with the original E53 X5 Le Mans prototype. That insane SUV was fitted with the 700 hp V12 engine from the Le Mans-winning V12 LMR and served as a precursor to the BMW X5 M, one of the first high-performance SUVs to hit the market.
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According to Van Meel, the all-electric M2 from BMW will also be tamed, influencing the electric M3.
BMW’s first all-electric M car is quickly taking shape and was shown under a colorful camouflage wrap earlier this month. It’s widely expected to have a quad-motor powertrain, with Van Meel saying this it’s good for as much as 1,341 hp (1,000 kW) or one Megawatt of power, although it’s unclear if the production model will be that powerful.
We know that BMW is developing its own in-house electric motors. These motors may be water and oil-cooled, and the first electric BMW M model should be able to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in less than 3 seconds.
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