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New BMW i3’s traction control system 50 times faster; will feature on all future BMW & MINI models

A new traction control system developed by BMW for their i3 electric vehicle is said to offer a response time 50x faster than the previous system, for improved driving stability in adverse road conditions and while the regenerative braking system is in operation.

The BMW i3 sets standards worldwide for driving pleasure in a purely electrically-driven vehicle. Key factors here are not only the increased output of the motor in the new BMW i3s, but also the innovative traction control system adapted specifically to the instantaneous power delivery of the BMW eDrive system. Presented for the first time in the new BMW i3s (270 Nm at 0 rpm, 135 kW / 184 HP, power consumption combined in European NEFZ test-cycle*: 14.3 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 0 g/km), the system improves traction and driving stability in adverse weather and road conditions when pulling away, in active Brake Energy Regeneration phases and when accelerating out of tight corners.

At the heart of this innovation is the control system’s 50-times faster routine, made possible because unlike conventional driving stability systems, the control process is now calculated directly in the powertrain instead of in a remote unit requiring long signal paths. This development provides further evidence of BMW i as a pioneer of innovative technology within the BMW Group.

“With their high levels of torque and instantaneous responses to every movement of the accelerator, electric motors already make significantly higher demands on driving stability systems than conventional power units,” explains Peter Langen, Head of Chassis Development at BMW.

The positive impact of these shorter control cycles is not reserved for purely electrically driven cars; and will also be fitted in future BMW and MINI models with front, rear and all-wheel drive to deliver noticeably greater assurance and driving pleasure when road conditions make pulling away difficult.

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