Fast hyperlinks for take a look at:BMW’s tagline, The Final Driving Machine, has been round for many years. However within the EV period, the place sound, torque, and even steering really feel are redefined by software program, what does that mantra actually imply? Mihiar Ayoubi, Senior Vice President Driving Expertise, has been with BMW for 3 many years. He has lived by way of the corporate’s transformation from purely mechanical chassis tuning to at present’s software-defined automobiles. With the first Neue Klasse mannequin arriving later this yr, he believes BMW is coming into a fourth period—one which could possibly be as necessary as the unique 1500 within the Sixties.
From Mechanical Chassis to the Coronary heart of Pleasure
“I’ve skilled three many years of driving dynamics at BMW,” Ayoubi begins. “The primary was mechanical—you needed to ship driving pleasure simply by way of chassis design. The second was the mechatronic period, after we added intelligence with lively steering and brake programs. The third was about linked chassis, the place all of the subsystems began speaking in loops.”
He pauses, then leans in: “Now comes the fourth. The Neue Klasse is historic as a result of, for the primary time, we now have a wholly new physique, a completely electrical spine, and a software-defined automobile. As an alternative of closed loops, we now use a hierarchical structure. Consider it like an octopus: one central mind with many arms, immediately telling every subsystem what to do. That’s the Coronary heart of Pleasure.”
What Can not Change within the EV Period
So how does BMW be sure its automobiles nonetheless really feel like BMWs with no combustion engine up entrance? “A very powerful factor is linear response,” Ayoubi says firmly. “If you see a nook, you need to know precisely how your automobile will behave. Predictability is every part.” Electrical automobiles, he explains, introduce distinctive challenges. A stiff battery pack creates a really inflexible heart part, however leaves the entrance and rear comparatively “unfastened.” With out cautious tuning, that may create an unpredictable response.
“Everybody says the low heart of gravity is the EV’s benefit. However what actually issues is the space between the roll axis and the middle of gravity. That determines how the automobile rotates. You have to design this into the physique from day one.”
After which there’s torque supply. “Combustion engines had been by no means quick sufficient,” he says. “That they had a pure delay. However an electrical motor reacts immediately. That may be spectacular in a straight-line demo, nevertheless it’s not a use case for on a regular basis prospects. We management forces on the wheel. That’s how we make the response linear and devoted.”
Making Atypical Drivers Really feel Extraordinary
In testing, Ayoubi remembers, even senior executives had been stunned. “Considered one of our board members stepped out and mentioned, ‘I didn’t know I used to be such an excellent driver.’ He wasn’t—however the automobile made him really feel that means.” It’s not nearly fanatics. “Our aim is that odd prospects step out feeling seamless predictability, enjoyment with security. They really feel extra snug than after they stepped into the automobile.”
“After all, we now have a small group of consumers who actually can drive, who can method the boundaries and benefit from the excessive decision of this method,” he says. “However I’m speaking in regards to the odd buyer. I imagine they are going to step out of the automobile feeling seamless predictability, enjoyment with security. It’s waftable. You’re feeling like a greater driver.”
Considered one of BMW’s personal challenge leaders reportedly mentioned the identical after testing a prototype at Sokolov, the place a lot of BMW’s dynamics improvement takes place: “I really feel extra snug now than the second I stepped into the automobile.”
That confidence has been examined underneath excessive circumstances. “Our first KPI was driving on slippery roads and winter circumstances,” Ayoubi says. I defined that throughout my very own take a look at of the BMW iX3, at 130 km/h on moist surfaces, the automobile stayed controllable. Ayoubi added: “For us, stopping over-braking and protecting steerability continues to be an important KPI at present.”
Scalability and OTA Potential
The Coronary heart of Pleasure isn’t a static expertise. “Now we have three dimensions of scalability,” Ayoubi explains. “First, throughout automobiles: one Neue Klasse can really feel naughty, one other cheap, one other secure. Second, inside a automobile: totally different driving modes for various prospects. And third, including new subsystems sooner or later—the central intelligence simply integrates them like new arms of the octopus.”
As a result of the system is software-defined, Ayoubi doesn’t rule out over-the-air monetization. “Why not?” he says candidly. “The expertise can do it. Our gross sales colleagues would possibly take into consideration promoting digital options. Think about releasing a extra dynamic setup for slalom driving. As soon as the client pays, we are able to ship it.”
The Problem of Warmth and Observe Use
When requested about EVs overheating on monitor, Ayoubi factors to classes from the experimental VDX prototype. “VDX was a form of wild horse,” he admits. “It was additionally automobile the place we realized to boost the management loops coming into the subsystems and bodily elements of that. However you’ll be able to’t undertake every part from it into manufacturing automobiles. Thermal headroom continues to be a problem.”
Why BMW Didn’t Rush to Stage 3
The Neue Klasse will debut with Stage 2+ driver help, not Stage 3. For Ayoubi, the choice was clear. “We examined Stage 3, however prospects aren’t prepared. They don’t need to lose management, particularly in cities. It’s like after we launched the primary lively anti-roll bars. We gave automobiles zero roll angle, however prospects didn’t prefer it. It took time for them to get used to it.”
Security is the opposite issue. “Lots of OEMs handled ADAS like a Wild West. However it’s simply statistics—automobiles, kilometers, probability of failure. Until you have got the very best security requirements, you ship accidents day by day. We are able to’t settle for that.”
Stage 2++ Defined
The time period “Stage 2++” has grow to be advertising shorthand, however Ayoubi gives two interpretations. “The optimistic view is that it means we are able to present help in metropolis driving. With AI and neural networks, you’ll be able to adapt to extra advanced environments. However we at all times use a hybrid method—AI plus physics—to make sure transparency.”
Then he provides a warning. “The unhappy interpretation is Stage 3 minus. Some name it self-driving, however legal responsibility continues to be with the motive force. The extra consolation you give, the extra distraction you create. That’s the killing level. We determined to maintain the motive force within the loop with minor instructions—steering, braking, accelerating—whereas the system does the remainder. That stability is crucial.”
Redundancy and Fail-Safes
Ayoubi additionally gives a glimpse into BMW’s obsession with redundancy. “Take Stage 3 handover. If the system asks you to take management, it makes use of an acoustic warning. However what in case your audio system or microphone don’t work? Each time you begin the automobile, we ship inaudible frequencies by way of the audio system to check the system. Solely then can we permit deployment.”
It’s a small element, however one which illustrates BMW’s safety-first method.
Stage 4, However Not 5
So what’s subsequent? “Technically, we are able to ship Stage 4,” Ayoubi says. “The query is: is there any pull from the market? Prospects want time to belief. Stage 5? Not this decade.”
The Way forward for Pleasure
In the long run, Ayoubi insists the Neue Klasse doesn’t mark the tip of BMW’s DNA—it’s a reinvention. “Electrical driving is difficult,” he admits. “However should you perceive the drawbacks, you’ll be able to flip them into benefits. That’s what the Coronary heart of Pleasure does. The expertise modifications, however the DNA doesn’t.”
