The Power BEV from BMW is an electric prototype with 720 CV, yes, 720 horsepower

The Power BEV electric prototype uses the powertrain of the new BMW 5 Series and three electric motors that together deliver 530 kW, that is, 720 CV

The power of electric cars is becoming so extraordinary, compared with equivalent versions powered by fossil fuels, that seeing an electric BMW 5 Series prototype with 720 CV is as impressive as it is mentally disorienting.

Yes indeed, 720 CV or, in electrical terms, 530 kW, for a saloon with no pretensions to sportiness that accelerates from 0 to 100 in under 3 seconds, roughly the same as an Lamborghini Aventador SVJ roadster or the new Ferrari SF90 Stradale.

Even with this presentation, the Power BEV, which is the name BMW has given to this rolling laboratory, shows where the future of the brand and the group is heading.

In fact, the transition from cars powered by combustion engines to electrified ones brings significant changes to vehicle dynamics.

Three motors better than one

BMW says that it is not only working on cars that deliver their best in pure acceleration and in a straight line, but also focuses on dynamism when cornering.

That is why, thanks to the placement of two independent motors on the rear axle, the e-torque vectoring system manages the energy delivered to the rear axle more efficiently, safely and dynamically than in cars with a traditional engine, where a limited-slip differential is used to balance the torque sent to the rear wheels.

The electric drivetrain also includes a power unit on the front axle, making this a vehicle with three electric motors, the same number as the BMW iX3, although in this car only a single motor is shown, working independently according to driving needs.

A prototype with no sign of reaching production

We know that, within BMW’s electrification plans, there is a range of electric saloons, such as the BMW i4, which could include a proposal with similarities to this Power BEV, so we cannot rule out that this prototype hides some technological solutions that will be visible in future BMW electric cars.

What does not seem feasible is for BMW to think of an electric BMW 5 Series just as we see it here. This engineering example is, for now, only that: a demonstration of what engineering teams can achieve.

This Power BEV is nothing more than a demonstration similar to BMW’s new electric motorcycle, the BMW Vision DC Roadster, a proposal from the motorcycle division of BMW, Motorrad , in its vision of the future of two-wheeled vehicles.