For those of you who don’t know him, Bjørn Nyland is one of the most prominent youtubers in the electrical world. Specialized in long-distance tests, he is able to analyze in detail the times and autonomy of electric cars. After passing hundreds of cars through his hands, this time it was the turn of the BMW i4. The German electric saloon has faced the challenge of the 1,000 kilometers of Bjørn with excellent results. The best European model within the prestigious list.
The i4 is the most logical and affordable option in BMW’s growing electric family. The saloon, based on a BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé, has stood out as one of the best electric cars on the market, capable of standing up to models as important as the Tesla Model 3 itself. We do not say it, we refer to the tests. In addition to excellent electrical behavior, the German model is capable of offering better levels of comfort and quality for a price similar to that of its American rival.
For the specific case that concerns us, the demanding test has been carried out with the version of access to the range, and the one with greater autonomy. We talk about a BMW i4 eDrive40. It has a single rear motor that generates a power of 340 horsepower and 430 Nm of torque. Next to it we find a lithium-ion battery with a net capacity of 80.7 kWh. Officially, BMW homologates an average consumption of 16.1 kWh for every 100 kilometers traveled, which allows it to offer an electric range in the WLTP cycle of up to 589 kilometers. Remember: official data.
To verify the veracity of such figures is where Nyland’s expert hands come into play, undergoing the same test that the Tesla Model 3 already had to pass. The objective of the test is simple as well as complex. With 1,000 kilometers of travel, Bjørn seeks to analyze the greatest number of parameters during that distance: times, speeds, temperatures and load speeds. This time the BMW i4 took 9 hours and 20 minutes to complete the test, which is just 5 minutes apart from a Tesla Model 3 Performance.
Even the youtuber himself has been surprised by such a result. During the 1,000 kilometers the i4 has had to stop five times to recharge (the average of the test is between 5 and 6 occasions). Leaving with the battery fully charged, the battery initially withstood a journey of 361 kilometers. After that first stop to recharge, the average distance between charges was 128 kilometers. Remember that this is about checking loading times and speeds. At the end of the journey, the on-board computer generated an average consumption of 20.8 kWh for every 100 kilometers traveled.
