Brand New BMW i4 Crashes Into Divider At High Speed: All 3 Passengers Safe [Video]
In a horrifying incident, a brand new BMW i4 crashed into a divider in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Three including a school goer had narrow escapes in the high-speed crash. The electric sedan in which they were in, crashed into the divider on Maitri Vihar-Sailashree Vihar road, near the Utkal Hospital.
The driver of the car, who survived without major injuries told the media that he was doing 70-80 kph and it was raining heavily. At some point in time, he had to brake. When he tried to brake, the car made a skid, rubbed against the divider and finally crashed into it. An eyewitness reportedly stated that the car was ‘overspeeding’ at the time of the crash. The reality of this remains to surface.
Like many cities, the dividers in the crash site had ornamental plants on it, and metal fences to guard them. The car apparently crashed into these, deforming them terribly and making them useless.
Images and videos from the crash site show the vehicle to have taken much damage. The front bumper, wheels, and fenders seem to be the most damaged. It is evident that minimal impact reached the cabin. There is thus no wonder that the occupants could walk out unhurt. The safety offered by BMW truly deserves praise.
Soon after the crash, Maitri Vihar police showed up at the site and initiated a probe. The car was seized as well.
Bhubaneswar BMW Crash: What Might Have Happened? A Possible Case
It is tough to believe that the i4 was doing sub-80kph speeds at the time of the crash, considering the amount of damage that it has taken. However, it could very much be possible to lose control if certain conditions were met. The vehicle involved was an i4 eDrive40- an RWD sedan. RWD vehicles are more prone to oversteering, especially in wet, less grippy scenarios. The presence of a water layer would also ignite hydroplaning.
Thus, if the driver had to abruptly deal with, say a layer of water, or an obstacle when he was speeding through a layer of water, he would naturally dab the brakes hard. In such a scenario, the car might slip slightly even with all the electronics functional. Likely panicked by this, the driver might have overreacted with throttle or steering, leading to a total loss of control and finally crashing out. It should be noted that the i4 is a very powerful car that offers 340 hp and 430 Nm. The acceleration can be very fast.
Before You Overspeed In The Rain…
You have to be extra cautious while driving in the rain, especially if you have a fast car. Things could go wrong in a fraction of a second. Modern cars feature a lot of electronics which strive to ensure safety and maintain traction/control at all times. However, driver inputs and prevailing weather conditions can influence/affect the end results. Wrong driver reactions could override the machine’s math and end in mishaps, especially in high-speed scenarios. It is pointless to blame the man or machine for this. The only way out is to drive responsibly.
More About The BMW i4
BMW launched the i4 in 2022. The electric sedan is essentially an EV version of the 4 Series Gran Coupe. At launch, it was priced at Rs 69.90 lakh, ex-showroom and came in just one variant- the eDrive40. It sits on the same CLAR architecture as the iX. The mechanicals consist of an 83.9 kWh battery pack mounted on the floor and an electric motor that drives the rear wheels. There is no AWD offered on the Indian version. 0-100 kph comes in just 5.7 seconds and the top speed is 190 kph.