BMW i4 M50.
BMW M, but electric. No exhaust, no compromises.

The BMW i4 M50 is the first EV to wear the M-Sport badge. The engineers in Munich put the battery into the G20 body (that is, the classic 3 Series), kept the ideal 50:50 weight distribution and gave it 544 hp of system power. The result? 3.9 seconds to 100 km/h in a car that looks like a 4 Series Gran Coupe.

The launch in November 2021 was the moment when BMW M Division had to answer the question: can an EV be a real M? The answer is the i4 M50 - not a full M, but an M Performance model. A specially tuned chassis, dual-motor AWD, M-Sport brakes. The first EV from BMW that really pins you back in your seat.

BMW's philosophy was cautious: let's not tear down what works. The i4 is the body and chassis of the 4 Series Gran Coupe (G26) with a battery pack injected into it. That made it possible to keep the BMW feel (rear-wheel drive for the eDrive40 version, AWD for the M50) and almost unchanged aerodynamic behaviour.

The BMW i4 M50 is a premium BEV sports saloon. Built on the CLAR platform (shared with the ICE BMW 3 Series), it offers a purely electric drivetrain without the compromises of a combustion engine. The car was launched in 2021 and got its LCI facelift in 2024.

Unlike plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and classic hybrids (HEV), the BMW i4 M50 is a fully electric car (BEV). No petrol engine, no fuel tank, no exhaust. All of its range comes from the battery, which you charge from a socket. Its most important trait follows from that category: a single overnight charge is enough for the daily commute.

The pack, 83.9 kWh gross and 80.7 kWh net, is made by China's CATL at a plant in Germany. The NCM 811 cells (80 per cent nickel, 10 manganese, 10 cobalt) offer high energy density and a low unit cost. The pack is liquid-cooled and weighs 550 kg.

The 3.2 kWh buffer (the gross-net difference) protects the cells from deep-discharge cycles. BMW guarantees the pack for 8 years or 160,000 kilometres, down to 70 per cent of capacity. Real-world measurements of 2021-2022 i4 M50 cars show 2-3 per cent degradation a year.

After the 2024 LCI facelift, BMW improved the thermal management algorithms and added faster DC charging at up to 207 kW (up from the previous 195 kW). The air conditioning comes with a heat pump as standard. The 2021-2023 versions needed a software update to get the full DC power in low temperatures.

The i4 M50 has two synchronous motors excited by electric current (rather than by magnets). 190 kW at the front, 230 kW at the rear. Together that's 400 kW (544 hp) and 795 Nm of torque. A single-speed reduction gearbox. Specially tuned sports suspension, M-Sport brakes with 4-piston callipers.

The i4 M50 offers ECO PRO, COMFORT and SPORT modes plus the customisable INDIVIDUAL mode. Sport BOOST adds 70 hp for 10 seconds. M Sport Sound generates an artificial engine sound when you press the pedal hard. Real-world consumption is 21-26 kWh/100 km.

The BMW i4 M50 has a built-in onboard charger, or OBC (On-Board Charger), with a limit of 11 kW (three-phase, 16 A). That means that whatever the external source (wallbox, portable charger, public AC station), the car will physically cap the power at that value. Standard Type 2 (Mennekes) connector.

BMW deliberately went with 11 kW AC, even though the i7 and iX got up to 11 kW (and some markets a 22 kW option). The reason: in an overnight cycle, 80.7 kWh net charges at 11 kW in 8 hours, which fits within the typical window at home. For fleet customers with a company car park, that's enough.

The most common sales myth: dealers suggest that the fastest home charging is a wallbox. That's a half-truth. A wallbox is simply a charger in a wall-mounted housing. From the car's point of view there's no difference between an 11 kW wallbox and an 11 kW portable charger plugged into a CEE socket. The charging parameters are identical. For the BMW i4 M50 you'll get the fastest home charging from a portable charger or a wallbox rated at 11 kW. The portable one has an edge: you can take it to the summer house, to a hotel, to your in-laws'.

The BMW i4 M50 doesn't exist in a vacuum. The premium BEV sports saloon segment has three natural rivals worth comparing it with on charging, range and price. Each of them has a different philosophy and different strengths.

The third important rival in the segment: Audi RS e-tron GT. 22 kW AC (800 V), 84 kWh, 646 hp, 3.3 s. Twice as expensive.

When does the BMW i4 M50 win? A specific combination of specs: battery, power, charging and price. For most customers in Poland it's still one of the best choices in the segment. When does it lose? The WLTP range of 510 km is, in some versions, shorter than the competition's. But for 90 per cent of users it's enough anyway.

The BMW i4 M50 has been tested by leading Polish and European motoring media and by independent EV market experts. The testers' consensus is clear: a solid car with specific strengths and weaknesses. Below is a summary of the main findings from industry tests by the motoring press and from EV market analyses.

According to industry tests by the motoring press, the i4 M50 is a BMW running on electricity, not an EV pretending to be a BMW. It drives like a 4 Series with a petrol engine, only quietly. That's a realistic assessment worth taking into account before you buy.

Independent road tests highlight the handling: an M-Sport warning - the M50 is not for people who are afraid of a fast turn into the first corner. That's an important point for people who value driving dynamics.

Industry analyses of the EV market indicate that 11 kW AC is the standard in BMW's segment, not a flaw. M50 customers mostly charge overnight. That matches exactly what we see at Ampere Point.

That's exactly how we see it at Ampere Point. A customer buying a BMW i4 M50 gets a car designed for overnight 11 kW charging. Our Q11 and P11 portable chargers are a perfect match: the full 11 kW, a Type 2 cable, 8 hours to a full battery. No wallbox, no electrician, no cutting into the wall.

The BMW i4 M50 is the choice for someone who wants a premium BEV sports saloon with a fully electric drivetrain. It's a perfect fit when: your daily commute is within the battery's range, you have access to a socket in the garage or in the car park, and you accept the need for DC on the road. Charger recommendation: if you value in-app consumption monitoring and night tariff integration, choose Q11 (PLN 1,349). If a simple, reliable charger is enough for you, go for P11 (PLN 999). Both deliver the full 11 kW, both charge the BMW i4 M50 in 8 hours, and you can take both on holiday. A 22 kW wallbox bought for a BMW i4 M50 is a classic example of a solution looking for a problem - don't let the dealership talk you into that kind of investment.