BMW's iNEXT electric takes winter tests

BMW has announced that the pure electric drive BMW iNEXT is undergoing a series of winter tests at the Group’s centre in Arjeplog, Sweden.

The production version of the iNEXT will be manufactured in the BMW Plant in Dingolfing from 2021. Components are currently being winter-tested together under real-world conditions at the polar circle for the first time.

Test drives are being conducted on snow-covered roads and ice-covered lakes, where low temperatures and minimal road friction dominate everyday testing.

The cold poses a challenge for the electric motor, the high-voltage battery and the cooling system. The testing engineers also attach particular importance to the eDrive energy management system, as the sub-zero temperatures affect how the energy storage system recharges, how electricity is transferred to the electric motor, how the electrical system is supplied with energy and how the heating and air condition systems respond.

The power transmission and suspension regulation systems are also tested far beyond what is standard in day-to-day traffic conditions. On closed-off, ice-covered surfaces electronic regulation can already be provoked at low driving speeds.