This Is BMW M’s First High-Performance Electric Car, The i4 M50

The all-new BMW i4 M50 has just been unveiled, and it’s the first pure electric vehicle (EV) developed by BMW’s M high-performance division.

Based on the recently-unveiled BMW i4, the i4 M50 is dressed appropriately to showcase its sporting intentions. Though to be honest, the naming convention makes it more of an M Performance EV rather than a full-fledged M car. Upfront, you get BMW’s controversial enlarged kidney (or lungs?) grille which are then flanked by a pair of LED headlights with lasers for the high beams. Instead of utilizing blue highlights like in standard BMW i cars, the i4 M50 features black and carbon fiber exterior accents.

The launch of the BMW i4 M50 also became an opportunity for us to see the i4’s interior for the first time. As expected, it looks similar to the BMW 4 Series and consequently, the 3 Series as well. Though the main highlight of its interior is its new digital screens framed in a single piece of glass. This houses BMW’s latest iDrive 8 infotainment system, which first made its debut in the BMW iX. And then since this is an M car, the i4 M50 gets a number of interior upgrades such as an M Sport steering wheel, M Sport seats, and stitching in BMW M’s signature tri-color design.

Powering the BMW i4 M50 are a pair of electric motors mounted at each axle, thereby making this all-wheel drive (AWD). In total, the two motors produce a total of 469 hp and 730 Nm of torque and this is mated to a single-speed transmission. However, thanks to the Sport Boost function, the i4 M50’s electric motors can produce 536 hp and 795 Nm of torque for up to 10 seconds.

With these power figures, the i4 M50 sprints from 0-100 kph in just 3.9 seconds. For perspective, the standard i4 reaches the century mark in 5.7 seconds. The M3 and M3 Competition do the same job in 4.1 seconds and 3.8 seconds, respectively.

The BMW i4 M50 also gets adaptive M suspension as standard, along with a strut tower brace, variable sports steering, M Sport brakes. Since the battery pack is mounted low on the floor, the i4 M50’s center of gravity is 1.3 inches lower than the M3’s.

BMW says that the battery pack is enough for a range of up to 395 kilometers, and it can be fully charged via an 11 kW home charger for 7.6 hours. For faster charging, the i4 M50 can accommodate up to 200 kW, which lets the batteries charging from 10 to 80 percent in just 31 minutes.

The BMW i4 M50, as well as the standard i4, will go on sale near the end of 2021 in global markets.