BMW’s Electric M3 Had To First Win Over One Of Its Own

Winning over a skeptical test driver takes more than horsepower.

bmw m3 ev

Photo by: BMW

Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

Oct 22, at 8:49am ET

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The electric BMW M3 impressed its Nürburgring test driver with its confidence and precision.
The M3 EV will sit above the i3 M60, with four motors and a stronger focus on track performance.
BMW will offer both electric and gas-powered M3s, giving buyers a choice.

BMW knows some enthusiasts will need convincing that an electric M3 deserves the M badge. But apparently, that persuasion campaign started within the company. In its latest M3 EV development documentary, BMW singles out one particularly demanding audience: the man who drives its M cars on Nürburgring record runs.

Jörg Weidinger, a racing driver and BMW M development engineer, helps determine how these cars behave when pushed. Colleagues described winning him over with electric propulsion as a challenge. After driving the near-production M3 EV at the Sachsenring, however, he sounds rather pleased.

“That’s impressive. A real leap forward. The experience is incredible,” he says, and his reaction centers on the confidence the car inspires. Coming from someone whose job is to find the limits of M cars, that is an encouraging response, even though, let’s not forget, this is still BMW’s own promotional video.

What the engineers are trying to achieve with the M3 EV is pretty interesting. Their discussions focus on steering feedback, an accelerator that lets the driver dial in power precisely, and brakes that are easy to modulate. The goal is a car drivers can place accurately and understand as they approach its limits. It’s about more than speed.

That theme runs through the series. An earlier installment covered how to make the electric M3 controllable and rewarding near the limit. Another explored how its artificial acceleration sound could help drivers judge speed and acceleration, drawing lessons from combustion engines without simply copying their sound (as Mercedes-AMG did).

The latest video takes that work to BMW’s Miramas proving ground in France, where elevation changes challenge the chassis during fast cornering. The team wants predictable responses even when the road unsettles the car.

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The M3 EV's driving character will be defined by its four motors, which allow precise, individual torque control at each wheel, coordinated by M-specific software. BMW has also shown the M Concept Neue Klasse, which hinted at the production model’s wider, more aggressive body kit.

The electric M3 will sit above the new i3 M60 xDrive, due in 2027. While the M60 is a sportier version of the regular i3, the M3 goes further with four motors, a high-performance battery, and a chassis tuned for track driving. It’s about more than extra power, though; it will also handle better, offer more grip, and cope better when pushed hard on a circuit.