All BMW M cars will be electrified by 2030, says BMW boss

EVs, EVs everywhere

It’s no secret that the electric age of motoring is well and truly upon us. Stand in central London, throw a stone, and you’ll probably hit a Tesla. Very soon, those Teslas will be rivalled by premium EVs from the likes of Jaguar, Porsche and Audi (to name a few), and in no time at all, electric cars will outnumber combustion engines. However you may feel about it, it’s impossible to deny anymore.

Audi's E-tron is set for a late-2018 release. Tribal tattoos optional.

Audi's E-tron is set for a late-2018 release. Tribal tattoos optional.

Time still left for gas-guzzling fun?

A fact that has been much easier to hide away from however, is the approaching extinction of the purely petrol-powered performance car.

In the UK, the date that has been set for the end of all sales of new, combustion-engined cars is 2040 – and many of us are quietly hopeful that while the minivans and crossover SUVs of this world will go electric sooner rather than later, performance-focused cars will keep doing it the noisy way until the bitter end – a fitting final bastion of petrol power. Were that the case, we'd have a good two decades left before having to face electric reality.

Sooner than we think

Very naughty: The new not-at-all electric M5 Competition

Very naughty: The new not-at-all electric M5 Competition

Which is why it came as something of a surprise to hear that this week, the head of BMW’s performance division declared that ‘for sure’ all M cars will be electrified not by 2040, but 2030. Or, just in case you aren’t all that maths-y, 12 years from now. Suddenly it feels very real.

Whether this deadline is for hybridisation or full-electric power is unclear – but, speaking at the launch of the new M5 Competition, M-division boss Frank Van Meel cited the importance of not being too late to the EV party – or too early. He acknowledged that the technology in its current state is too cumbersome to work in M cars, as, "For us as a performance company, overall vehicle weight and power-to-weight ratio is key".

Can electric power provide M car magic?

BMW has a job on his hands capturing the glory of cars like the M2 and duplicating it with an electric powertrain.

BMW has a job on his hands capturing the glory of cars like the M2 and duplicating it with an electric powertrain.

Van Meel assures that the switch to electric will not happen until the technology is smaller and lighter, but he is confident that when it does, none of the M car driving experience will be lost in translation. He argued that the DNA of BMW M cars has never been inherently attached to a certain type of powertrain: 'If you look at [the] M3, we have had four-cylinder, six-cylinder, and a naturally-aspirated high-revving V8". So why not an electric motor?

Do you think an all-electric M car could feel like a real M car?

Do you think Van Meel’s 2030 target is realistic?

Let me know in the comments.

Original article:

CarAdvice.com

BMW M will electrify everything, division boss says | CarAdvice

BMW has recently said it thinks up to 40 per cent of the cars it produces by 2025 may be powered by some form of pure electric or hybrid powertrain, and now we have confirmation that M Division is se...