BMW introduced the i3s, a more powerful and sportier version of the i3, last fall. For the new model, BMW not only increased the output of the motor, but also developed an innovative traction control system adapted specifically to the instantaneous power delivery of the company’s eDrive powertrain.

Now BMW has announced that it will use the i3s traction control system in all future BMW and MINI models. The system improves traction and driving stability in adverse weather and road conditions, during regenerative braking, and when accelerating out of tight corners. At the heart of the new system is what BMW calls a “50-times-faster routine,” made possible by the fact that the control process is now calculated directly in the powertrain instead of in a remote unit requiring long signal paths.

“With their high levels of torque and instantaneous responses to every movement of the accelerator, electric motors already make significantly higher demands on driving stability systems than conventional power units,” said Peter Langen, Head of Chassis Development at BMW. That’s why the BMW engineers developed a new system geared to the demands of electric mobility.

However, the positive impact of these shorter control cycles is not unique to EVs – according to BMW, the new traction control system also optimizes traction, stability and driving dynamics in legacy vehicles.

Source: BMW via Green Car Congress