BMW’s current line-up of plug-in hybrid cars are able to provide around 50 km of range when running on pure electricity, which is enough for most daily commutes around town. If you’re really careful with the accelerator pedal, that EV range can go up to 65 km, but hypermiling isn’t something a lot of drivers find practical.
Be that as it may, some are still unable to shake off the “range anxiety” when driving PHEVs, which is why BMW is aiming to increase the EV range of its future PHEVs up to 100 km. This was revealed by Pieter Nota, member of the board of management of BMW Group, who said, “we are of course continuing to develop the drive system and will offer up to 100 kilometres of electric range in the future, depending on the segment.”
“By the end of this year, we will already have a total of 12 basic plug-in hybrid models available, including the new MINI Countryman and the BMW X2,” he added. The advancements come at a time when the German carmaker expects an increase in demand for PHEV cars over the medium term. “Electrified vehicles will account for between 15 and 25% of BMW’s global sales before 2025. In Europe, it will probably already be a quarter by 2021, a third by 2025 and half by 2030,” Nota notes.
What isn’t known is which new PHEV model from BMW will get the increased EV range or when the first of such cars will arrive. As battery technology continuously evolves, we can expect higher capacities to be integral to this development. Smaller plug-in hybrids in BMW’s line-up employ a 12-kWh battery pack, while larger ones like the X5 xDrive45e have a larger 24-kWh pack.
While PHEVs do have an internal combustion engine that steps in when the battery is depleted, minimising its usage and plugging the vehicle in to recharge the battery is deemed to be the method that best takes advantage of the technology.
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