The camouflaged car in front of me isn’t designed to be a future EV. Instead, this is what BMW describes as a test rig. A vehicle in which they can try out all of their latest technology, but principally a unit they describe as the Heart of Joy, and show what it can do.
The Heart of Joy is a processing unit that controls both driving and vehicle dynamics. Traditionally these two systems operate separately but BMW have created a single unit that can work 10 times faster to deliver the full potential of its EVs.
The test car has the markings of the upcoming Neue Klasse models that we’ve seen in the Vision prototypes, including the long thin illuminated kidney grill of the Vision saloon and the new iDrive infotainment system with the Operating System X.
Rather than the slim retro styling, this test car has wide wheel arches and a low stance. Size-wise it’s comparable to a BMW M3 but this all-electric model has even more power. Could it be the basis for a new i3 M? The engineers claim not, but… maybe.
What’s not in question is that this machine is seriously powerful. I got to experience it at barely half power around the test track at BMW’s Spartanburg facility in South Carolina. With the company’s own tame racing driver behind the wheel, it remained solidly plated to the track, no matter the corner or camber. It felt more like a rollercoaster than a track circuit.
The only limit seemed to be the tyres as the car ramped up the power in drift mode and clouds of smoke poured off the wheels. It had levels of acceleration I’ve never experienced before, even in the fastest of EVs. It uses four electric motors as well as a set of powerful fans – or impellers – to provide incredible downforce at any speed. Exact numbers for power were suitably vague, but clearly far beyond current models.
One interesting development that comes from the Heart of Joy central processor is in the recuperation and braking. It allows a much smoother braking process using purely electric braking up to around 90 km/h. This means that for all but emergency braking, there’s no need to use the car’s disc brakes at all.
From inside the car, I was also able to experience the Operating System X, with the Panoramic Vision display for all passengers under the windscreen and the new angled central screen providing the required drive settings. The system makes more sense in a real car like this, and I found the panoramic vision even more impressive.
While it’s still some time before we see a finished Neue Klasse model, with the Vision X design being the first to come later this year, this test car has revealed just how big a step up it’s going to be. With the Heart of Joy processing unit in place, the Neue Klasse cars will potentially unleash the true potential of electric vehicles. It’s certainly a reason to be excited for the future.
