No European premium manufacturer has sold more electrified cars than BMW. Bayern are doing everything they can to keep it that way - and are now starting a true hybrid offensive.
Those who claim to be among the premium brands of those automakers that sell the world's most electrified and all-electric models are, of course, good at maintaining their top spot. Last year, BMW sold just under 100.000 cars with plug-in hybrid technology. Record. The i3 battery-electric carbon-fiber racer is enjoying increasing popularity from year to year. If 2016 was 16.000 units for the first full sales year, it's almost twice as many now. Also record. Decisive for this is the double range compared to the first model. Reason enough for BWM to keep the extravagant City Stromer running a few extra years beyond the normal life cycle of seven years. However, one thing is certain: a successor in the same carbon technology will no longer exist.
At least ten models with plug-in hybrid - a small "e" behind the nameplate serves as a flag - want to send Bayern in the coming 20 months on the road. "The Brussels CO2 specifications can not be achieved any other way," says Wolfgang Kremer, project manager 7er plug-in hybrid, without any ado. The luxury sedan is the prelude to the power offensive. The new 745e has been on the market for a few weeks, replacing the 2016e, which has been built since July, 740. This had a share of seven percent within the series, in Germany it was eleven percent. According to Kremer, this value should "increase significantly", if only because of the tax 0,5 percent regulation for company and company cars.
The 745e got a stronger electric motor (80 instead of 50 kW) as well as a battery with almost 20 percent more energy content. It contains memory cells of the 4, internally named by BMW. Generation. They replace the 3B cells and will gradually be introduced in all plug-in hybrid models. This also affects the already available models 225xe and 530e. Their updates are scheduled for July. Experts expect industry experts also a 545e five-fighter, means: six instead of four-cylinder and thus a much better running culture. That's exactly what the 740e did not do. The two-liter four-cylinder was exaggerated austerity, especially since the new combination with the B-58 Reihensechser even consumed less than the old duo. As agreed: E-machine in conjunction with B 58 also gets the X5 used, while it remains with the X3 30e the four-cylinder B 48.
It may be speculated about the X1. In China, he already drives around as 25 Le as a plug-in hybrid and is currently receiving a battery update. Cells of the generation 4 are also mounted here. He is due to its longer wheelbase and the associated greater battery capacity, come to an electric range of 110 kilometers. He would have been so well prepared to let the buyers benefit from tax and regulatory incentives - a big issue in China. In Europe, it should really only be a matter of time until there is the X1 25e here too. Finally, due to its presumably high sales volume, it could significantly influence the reduction of the CO2 fleet value. In addition, a small investment would require installing this powertrain in the X2 as well as in the new 2er, which is now also based on UKL1.
Because Europe is a combined station wagon, BMW will likely hybridize its fleet and company bestsellers 3er Touring and 5er Touring to these markets next year, bringing it to at least 55 to 60 kilometers of electric range. However, friends of the inductive and therefore wireless shop should still be patient. Although the test phases are far more solid, to a series production before the end of 2020 BMW can not yet penetrate. The development was jointly operated with the colleagues from Stuttgart. By the way, they also want to have more than ten electrified models in the showroom by the end of next year. So it remains exciting, the race for the plug-in pole position.