The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup at the Motorcycle Grand Prix in Austria will be a milestone for the BMW brand. Held at the Red Bull Ring, the race will mark the debut of the brand’s first all-electric safety car: the 2022 BMW i4 M50. It will replace the BMW i8, which was the previous safety car in the MotoGP’s electric motorcycle series.
With the 2022 BMW i4 M50, we are entering a new era and presenting our first M with a fully electric drivetrain,” said Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW’s M division. “With the first M BEV, we are setting a course for a future, in which the combination of extremely sporty, performance vehicles and electrification is an exciting theme. Flasch added that while the production i4 won’t arrive until the fall season, he hopes fans will enjoy seeing the car in action on the track this summer. “There could not be a more appropriate safety car for MotoE than the BMW i4 M50 — pure performance, fully-electric,” he continued.
BMW has outfitted the i4 M50 safety car with a unique color scheme that you certainly won’t miss. In addition to the emergency lights on the roof, the car has a cool gray and green exterior color combination. The closed oversized kidney grilles, the lower part of the rear fascia, and the outlines around the air curtains in front are finished in green. You also get green “Safety Car” badges emblazoned across the side and on the hood and green slanted stripes all around the vehicle. The phrase “Born Electric in M Town” is also plastered on the front fenders in green to go with the car’s eco-friendly performance theme.
When it goes on sale in the U.S. later this year, the BMW i4 will be available in two flavors. The i4 eDrive40 features a single electric motor with 335 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. BMW says this version can travel up to 300 miles. If you’re looking for more performance, the i4 M50 is the one for you with 536 hp and 586 lb-ft from its dual-motor setup. However, you trade the total driving range because the more powerful variant can only travel 245 miles per charge. Both versions use an 83.9-kWh battery mounted and joined with the body to increase overall rigidity and to create a load-bearing structure. The majority of the suspension components are made of aluminum to cut weight and better shock response.
Using a level 3 DC charger, the 2022 BMW i4’s charging capability peaks at 200 kW. This means the i4 can regain 90 miles in 10 minutes under ideal conditions. The 11-kW onboard charger can replenish the battery back to 100 percent in 8.0 hours using a level 2 AC charger. Purchasing a BMW i4 also gets owners a $100 credit at EVGo and its partner charging stations across all 50 states.
Pricing for the 2022 BMW i4 starts at $56,395 for the eDrive40 and 66,895 for the performance-oriented M50. The i4 will be one of the first models to get the latest version of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system alongside the iX crossover. It features a 2.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 14.9-inch main touch screen. You’ll also be able to get a 16-speaker, 464-watt Harman Kardon audio system upgrade.
