[RahulNagaraj]

According to media reports, BMW has recently filed a patent application with the USPTO to allow owners of its future EVs to dramatically change the car's behaviour by changing the throttle mapping and torque delivery.



Reports state that BMW could replace the current drive modes (like Eco & Sport) with fixed settings with a new system offering drivers a graph from which they can customise the car's behaviour. This is possible because electric motors provide greater flexibility and can be easily powered up or down in a linear fashion. Based on this flexibility, BMW's new system is said to be based around the acceleration and speed curves, both of which, can be adjusted by dragging the curve line along the graph displayed on the vehicle's touchscreen. Being a BMW EV, the adjustments would also trigger appropriate Hans-Zimmer sounds.

The system is said to offer multiple potential benefits. Drivers could make the EV mimic the behaviour of an ICE-powered car by temporarily disabling the flat torque curve inherent to electric motors. The car can also be programmed to accelerate more gradually, providing a safety net for those not used to the sudden acceleration available in EVs.

The system though, is still in its patent stage, and whether BMW would bring this tech onto any of its future electric M cars is yet to be seen.

Source: CarBuzz

Link to Team-BHP news

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

According to media reports, BMW has recently filed a patent application with the USPTO to allow owners of its future EVs to dramatically change the car's behaviour by changing the throttle mapping and torque delivery.

I just hope this is not another way to sell a 'paid mode' to customers a.ka. Mercedes.

Related thread : Mercedes to charge $1200 subscription fee on its EVs to unlock maximum power output

[d3mon]

An EV that can mimic different cars' acceleration, gearing & sound would be quite epic.
I've had this exact idea before and it'd make an EV so much more engaging to drive if you could drive a different car whenever you wanted to, along with the ability to change "gears" (which change nothing but delivered torque to the wheel) along with a gap in the acceleration while changing gears, turbo lag before delivering all the torque etc. Of course, it assumes a sufficient amount of power to begin with, but the rest can be easily achieved.

The current crop of EVs are a one trick pony which deliver all the available power all the time, and while of course it gives you accessible power, it is no match for the character of driving an ICE car with a gearbox. This one trick gets old extremely fast. Innovation like this would help make EVs much more exciting to drive.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by d3mon

An EV that can mimic different cars' acceleration, gearing & sound would be quite epic... I've had this exact idea before and it'd make an EV so much more engaging to drive if you could drive a different car whenever you wanted to... The current crop of EVs are a one trick pony which deliver all the available power all the time

In my opinion, such modes may be good to have for satiating occasional itch of ICE vehicle. However, the way people are moving towards proper ATs, and expecting seamless power delivery from standstill to higher speeds, these modes may remain a niche requirement. There's a learning curve to drive EVs, and once you get hang of it, acceleration remains fully in control. I feel EVs are fun to drive. Yes, switching back to ICE vehicle feels odd for first few tens of kms, but that's it.

That said, I do miss the sound of ICE. The silence/whine of EVs used to feel eerie in beginning, now I have adapted to that. Same may be the case with other EV users.