This is the safest electric car in the world

Remember the infamous moment when Elon Musk and Tesla’s style chief Franz von Holzahausen smashed the window of the Cybertruck during the model’s official presentation in 2019? Well, that wouldn’t have happened if it was this BMW i7 instead.

The German firm has just published photos in which we can see the limo riddled with bullet holes and blows of all kindsenough to highlight the new Protection program, a program that has been found for several years now at BMW and which makes it possible to shield certain models in the range, including the 7 Series and, consequently, the new i7.

The first armored electric car

The new BMW 7 Series was thus entitled to a VR9 treatment, one of the most comprehensive in ballistic certification for civilian vehicles. The i7 Protection will be the first electric car in history to meet these requirements.

Protection program cars are developed in-house at the Dingolfing factory. The i7 features an armored steel body that BMW claims can withstand 7.62 X 54 R ammunition, which is categorized as “armor-piercing bullets.”

The roof and the base are also made of armored materials which offer a “excellent protection against explosives, and even air attacks”. The car is also equipped with special Michelin MAX run-flat tires which can travel up to 80 km/h even in the event of a total loss of pressure. They are mounted on special 20-inch alloy wheels.

Based on the BMW i7 M70

BMW says it wanted to make the Protection models as unobtrusive as possible, which is why the run-flat tires, thicker windows and flag holders above the front fenders are the only elements that distinguish the armored cars from the cars ” civil”.

Customers can customize Protection models with a range of options such as a fresh air supply system, fire extinguishers with automatic and manual exhaust, flashing lights and radio transceivers.

Mechanically, the i7 Protection will take over the powertrain from the i7 M70, with two electric motors developing 544 hp and 745 Nm of torque. The performances are not very glorious with a 0 to 100 km / h shot in 9 seconds and a maximum speed limited to 160 km / h.

The car, heavier than the i7 M70, must certainly flirt with the legal limit of 3.5 tonnes for the Permis B in France. In terms of autonomy, it should not be a panacea since the i7 M70 claims 480 km, but with a hundred kilos more to carry, the autonomy must go well under 400 km.