BMW will allegedly offer the next-generation
7-Series in all-electric guise as the i7, BMW Blog reports. It is claimed that this vehicle
will be based on the automaker’s fifth-generation platform which supports both
ICE and EVs. To ensure the vehicle appeals to as many customers as possible,
BMW will sell it in a host of different configurations.
Sitting at the base of the i7 range will be a model
with a relatively small 80 kWh battery pack, perhaps the same unit as used by
the BMW i4. Those looking for greater range will be able to purchase the i7
with at least two other battery packs, one of which will be a 120 kWh unit that
should be good enough for a range in the region of 700 km.
Last year, former BMW chief executive Harald Krueger
confirmed the company’s range targets for its future electric vehicles. The i7 will also be sold with a
number of different electric motor configurations, including one with a pair of
electric motors pumping out upwards of 650 HP. This model would be all-wheel
drive and certainly the most accelerative 7-Series ever produced.
It is understood that the next-generation 7-Series
will be launched in late 2021 or early 2022, so the i7 will probably arrive
some time later.
