The newest electric offering from BMW — available for order now — starts at a lower price point than previous BMW electric vehicles, which makes it eligible for both federal and provincial rebates

German automaker BMW continues to expand its lineup of electric vehicles available for purchase in Canada with the introduction of the new BMW i4 eDrive35.

Starting at $54,990, the i4 eDrive35 provides drivers with a lower price of entry into BMW’s i4 electric range, which so far already consists of the BMW i4 M50 and BMW i4 eDrive40 models.

Due to its lower price, the new eDrive35 qualifies for the $5,000 rebate under the federal government’s Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) Program, along with all provincial government incentives programs, too.

“We are happy to be so quickly expanding the offering for one of our most important products of the year, the i4,” said Andrew Scott, director of brand management with BMW Group Canada in a press release. “We strive to offer Canadians more choice and doing so in one of the fastest-growing areas of the business is crucial.”

Orders for the i4 eDrive35 are open in Canada now. Production of the cars is scheduled to start in November in Munich, with the first units planned to arrive in Canada by Q1 of 2023.

Performance and tech features

The eDrive35 is a rear-wheel-drive coupé and comes with a single motor that can produce 281 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. BMW says that this allows the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in around six seconds, with a top speed of 190 kph.

The vehicle’s battery has a net capacity of 66 kWh and charges up to a maximum speed of 180 kW on a DC Fast Charger. “Based on early testing on DC current, owners can expect to charge the HV battery from 10% to 80% in as little as 32 minutes,” states BMW.

But still the eDrive35 battery is smaller compared to the eDrive40 and the M50 xDrive, which are both equipped with a 83.9 kWh battery.

This makes the eDrive35’s range the lowest in BMW’s electric line at 418 km (as opposed to 484 km for the eDrive40 and 435 km for the M50).

Aside from the differences in range, the i4 eDrive35 shares many of the same tech features with BMW’s other electric offerings, such as the Gen5 eDrive powertrain, Curved Display screen and iDrive 8 operating system.

BMW’s current portfolio of electric vehicles spans six model lines with a total of 10 powertrain variations. By 2030, the BMW Group says it wants 50 per cent of its global sales to be made up entirely of electrified vehicles.