What's the news?
BMW is going to take the innovative and fast-acting traction control system (TCS) from the i3s and fit it to all of its models - be they electric or otherwise - from now onwards.
The German firm says that the instantaneous power delivery of the eDrive system on the i3s, which doles out 270Nm from 0rpm and 184hp at 4,000rpm, required a new way of thinking about TCS. The EV's system is said to improve traction and driving stability in adverse weather and road conditions when pulling away, as well as being better during active Brake Energy Regeneration phases and accelerating out of tight corners.
This is made possible because it reacts 50 times faster than BMW's existing TCS set-ups, mainly because the control process is now calculated directly in the powertrain, instead of in a remote unit that requires longer signal paths. And while the engineers came up with this new type of system to satisfy the demands of electric mobility, the benefits it offers assist traction, driving stability and driving dynamics in combustion-engine vehicles. Which, as we said at the top of the piece, means it will be fitted in all front-, rear- and four-wheel drive BMW and MINI models going forward.
BMW says this is another example of how its i division is a pioneer for new technologies that aren't limited just to the electrically-powered models in the company's fleet. Another example would be the Carbon Core structure, that was debuted for i3 and i8, and which eventually found its way into the current 7 Series.
Anything else?
Peter Langen, head of chassis development at BMW, said: "With their high levels of torque and instantaneous responses to every movement of the accelerator, electric motors already make significantly higher demands on driving stability systems than conventional power units."