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The Heart of Joy: BMW’s In-House Electric Powertrain Solution
Last November, I strapped into the rear passenger seat of an all-electric, four-door sedan with BMW test driver and 24-hour racer Jens Klingmann behind the wheel. It was a cold day at BMW’s Performance Driving Center in Greer, SC, and beneath the five-point harnesses, roll cage, and heavily camouflaged body, Klingmann had an unexpected co-pilot: a tiny black box called the “Heart of Joy.”
The Heart of Joy: A New Era for Electric Powertrains
The vehicle we rode in is called the Vision Driving Experience (VDX), a one-off built specifically for testing this supposedly magic black box, as well as more upcoming features for BMW’s Neue Klasse platform. The VDX uses fans to suck it down to the track for better traction at speed. Those fans are loud inside the vehicle, making it nearly impossible to hear much more than a roar while we’re hurtling around the track at speeds nearing 90 mph, even though the car itself is a mostly silent EV.
In-House Electric Powertrain: A New Era for BMW
As Klingmann expertly navigated the 1.7-mile performance track, I was struck by the seamless acceleration and smooth power delivery of the Heart of Joy. The tires whined as they approached the limit of their grip, and there was notably less BMW brake squeal as the little black box did a majority of the work as we hurtled around the track.
A New Chapter in Electric Powertrain Development
The Heart of Joy was developed in just three short years and has currently been through more than 7,500 hours of testing, both at the hands of experienced engineers like Thalmeer and race drivers like Klingmann. The aim, of course, is to get future BMWs to drive more like BMWs, and not like, say, Kias, which uses the supplier-to-programming model for their EVs. The single computer also, conveniently, makes over-the-air updates much easier for BMW.
The Benefits of In-House Development
Bringing the development in-house is not new for BMW, but it is relatively unique in an industry that frequently looks to outside suppliers for everything from voice recognition to infotainment. ECUs tend to be outsourced to other companies like Magna Steyr, for example.
A Lesson Learned from the Past
BMW CTO Frank Weber explained how the automaker’s near failure to launch the 7-series 25 years ago gave the company the ability and confidence to create the new Heart of Joy. "It was a nightmare," Weber told me at CES earlier this year. "We almost didn’t make the launch of the car… Today, I can say, maybe this was the best thing that happened to BMW. Because it was so difficult, we had to develop more robust processes for those advanced digital technologies much earlier than the others, and then we just groomed it over time."
Conclusion
The Heart of Joy represents an interesting future for the German brand that still wants to be known as the "Ultimate Driving Machine" in the electrified future. If the brief but thrilling experience I had in the VDX is any indicator, the new Heart of Joy underlines BMW’s "Ultimate Driving Machine" roots and promises a truly dynamic, all-electric driving future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Heart of Joy?
A: The Heart of Joy is a new electric powertrain solution developed by BMW.
Q: What is the VDX?
A: The VDX is a one-off built specifically for testing the Heart of Joy and other upcoming features for BMW’s Neue Klasse platform.
Q: Why did BMW develop the Heart of Joy in-house?
A: BMW developed the Heart of Joy in-house to improve the quality and control of their electric powertrains.
Q: What are the benefits of in-house development?
A: In-house development allows BMW to improve their products, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.
Q: What is the future of electric powertrains at BMW?
A: The future of electric powertrains at BMW is promising, with the Heart of Joy representing a new era of innovation and performance.
