BMW i5 EV Completes Winter Tests By Drifting In The Snow At Arjeplog

• BMW i5 EV to be electric equivalent of 5 Series, slotting above i4 electric sedan. 

• Doesn’t get the split-headlight setup seen in i7 and X7, overall silhouette is familiar. 

• These design cues will be seen on the eighth-generation, ICE 5 Series as well. 

• BMW i5 will also get a performance-oriented M version and an estate variant. 

• 5 Series sedans to be globally premiered in October 2023. 

Just a couple of weeks after announcing the next-generation 5 Series sedan, BMW has given us an extensive image gallery of the 5 Series’s electric version, the i5. After a year of extensive tests, the i5 EV has finally completed winter tests at Arjeplog, Sweden, ahead of its global premiere, which will be held in October 2023.

This is how the new i5 and 5 Series will look like  

Despite sporting heavy camouflage, the test mules in these pictures give us some key insights into the design of the i5 EV, and of course the eighth-generation 5 Series. At the front, the sedan features a more prominent nose with a reshaped kidney “grille” (the ICE sedan will have a front grille, but this should be partially covered in the EV). There’s a large lower air vent on the bumper with a splitter placed at its base.  

Thankfully, the i5 doesn’t get the split headlight setup of the 7 Series, i7 and X7 vehicles. Its headlights seem to be LED projector units that wrap around the fenders similar to the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s headlights. 

In the profile, the overall silhouette of the 5 Series, with its long bonnet, swept-back tail and ground-hugging stance, is intact. 

At the rear, the i5 has a chunky rear bumper and the taillights are split units with intricate LED lighting elements. 

Extreme cold can be a challenge for some EVs 

The tests in northern Sweden weren’t simply for fine-tuning the i5’s performance and dynamics, which BMW claims is at least as good at ICE vehicles on ice and snow. The tests also exposed the electric powertrain, e-motors and other electric drive and power transmission components to extremely cold temperatures, an Achilles heel for EVs, as cold weather can cause a drop in range. This requires engineers to create an effective thermal management system for the battery components to reduce the effect of external temperatures on the battery’s performance. 

• All-electric BMW i5 Teased Alongside Launch Confirmation Of New-generation 5 Series In October 2023

• Audi Q6 e-tron SUV Confirmed, EV Undergoing Winter Testing In Europe

The BMW i5 has come out with flying colours on the testing grounds in the Arctic circle, and we can’t wait to see what it (and the new 5 Series) look like. The electric sedan will be a rival for the upcoming Mercedes EQE sedan and Audi A6 e-tron EV.