Automotive
THE BMW i4
CHANGED MY OPINION ABOUT EVS. HERE’S WHY… By Charlie Cooksey, Gulf Insider
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eviewing this car involved me flying to Nice, on the stunning French Rivera, and staying at a beautiful 5-star hotel right on the seafront. Yes, I have a tough job. Looking out from my suite to the sea is breath-taking. The water is a beautiful azure blue and almost surreal. Interestingly, the colour of the sea is the same as the blue ring on the BMW badge affixed to every car in their EV (Electric Vehicle) range. Is this clever marketing from BMW, or coincidence?
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Gulf Insider June 2022
Anyway, before I talk about the car itself, let me say a few words on EVs. I’ve been test driving various EVs from several manufacturers for a couple of years now. But, until now I had only driven EVs for fairly short journeys on the roads of Bahrain and Dubai. Driving on the French highways enabled me to do some long-distance driving and I really got a feel for EVs and learnt how capable they are - in this case, the BMW i4. Two versions of this car are available: the eDrive40 and the M50.
The entry-level eDrive40 is a rearwheel drive with one electric motor which produces 340bhp, accelerating from zero to a hundred kph in 5.7sec, with a range of 590 kms. The top of the range M50 is a four-wheel drive with two motors, producing a massive 544bhp, accelerating from zero to a hundred kph in 3.9 seconds, with a range of 521 kms. The brakes are excellent. The regenerative braking system harvests energy that would otherwise be wasted when you brake - making it easy to slow
