Electric BMW i7 hits the snow

BMW has released pictures of its pure-electric 2022 BMW i7 limousine winter testing in the snow near the Arctic Circle ahead of its launch next year.

Boldly claimed to be "the world's first all-electric luxury sedan", the BMW i7 will rival cars like the Mercedes-Benz EQS and the most expensive versions of the Tesla Model S.

The vehicles pictured testing at BMW's cold-weather facility in Arjeplog, Sweden, are confirmed to be very late-stage prototypes undergoing durability evaluation in the extreme sub-zero temperatures.

BMW says testing in icy conditions ensures the motor, battery and cooling system "prove their high level of maturity in extreme sub-zero temperatures".

Despite heavy camouflage, it's clear BMW has favoured a traditional three-box sedan shape for its advanced i7 instead of employing a curvier four-door coupe silhouette, like Mercedes did with its EQS.

Beneath the skin, instead of sitting on a dedicated pure-electric architecture, the i7 will be based on BMW's flexible CLAR platform which is already used on both the smaller i4 sedan, iX SUV and combustion vehicles like the G11 BMW 7 Series and the G07 X7 SUV.

When it goes on sale, the i7 will almost certainly share powertrains with the latest iX SUV.

That means when it lands in Australia, the entry-level version is set to come with an all-wheel drive xDrive40 powertrain using a 77kWh lithium-ion battery and two motors that produce 240kW/630Nm combined.

That should be enough for a 0-100km/h time of around 5.5 seconds and a range of 500km.

The most powerful variant of the i7 gets the xDrive50 powertrain that has a long-range 112kWh battery that should provide for up to 700km between top-ups.

Also driven by two motors, the i7 electric BMW limo with the biggest battery should pump out at least 385kW/765Nm and be capable of dispatching the 0-100km/h sprint in less than 4.0 seconds.

To cope with that level of performance (and weight), the BMW i7 will come with the car-maker's latest chassis tech that, in the German brand's words, are "designed to raise the balance between sportiness and ride comfort that’s typical of the brand’s luxury sedans to the next level".

BMW also claims: "For the first time, it is possible to experience a luxury sedan that is characterised by elegance, ride comfort and supremacy without restriction and in conjunction with a purely electric drive system."

Expected to arrive in Australia towards the end of 2022, the i7 is likely to be priced above the iX SUV (from $137,100) but below the $290,000 Mercedes is expected to charge for the cheapest EQS.

Related: SPY PICS: BMW i5 caught in action