BMW is trying really hard lately to push more hybrid plug-in models than ever. Actually, it’s the first time the Germans started seriously looking into this matter, probably forced by the ever tightening EU regulations about CO2 emissions.
While some might think it’s a bad idea, taking a closer look might reveal some interesting details. Sure, the purists will ‘never’ drive such a thing. ‘It’s an abomination!’ you’ll hear them scream while sharpening their pitchforks and lighting up torches. However, they ended up adopting the SUV branch just a couple of years later, didn’t they?
Back in the late 1990s when the Bavarians launched the X5 everyone was all worried that the ‘values’ and ‘DNA’ of the company will be gone and who knows what else could happen. Not even 10 years passed and everyone was loving what the Germans had built.
It’s all the same today with hybrids and electric vehicles. Give it 10 years and you’ll see how things change, everyone welcoming eDrive models and whatever other electric vehicles the blue and white roundel company might bring up.
And why wouldn’t they like an eDrive car? At the moment, all they have a quarrel with is the hybrid powertrain. Well, the way this kind of cars drive will surprise you.
They will be powered by a 2-liter inline 4-cylinder turbocharged engine with an undisclosed amount of power (probably close to 240 HP and 350 Nm of torque) joined by an electric unit that makes close to 90 HP and 250 Nm of torque (once again, these are estimates as the final figures haven’t been disclosed yet). For the EV side of the car there’s a decent battery included, probably somewhere around 7-8 kWh, enough to keep even a large SUV such as the X5 going for up to 18 miles and at speeds up to 75 mph.
Now, with the current ActiveHybrid models things are a lot more difficult. They don’t pose as much interest as these eDrive versions for a number of reasons. First of all, they are not pluggable. That means that their electricity comes from recuperation or other means, while the battery is extremely limited (only 2 or 3 miles of range on EV mode and at speeds up to around 50 mph). That makes them rather useless compared to other choices out there.
It’s not the case here. The X5 eDrive for example, was developed to solve a great deal of problems, especially inside crowded cities. According to BMW, the usual commute of an X5 owner is less than 18 miles a day. That means that a random person could go to work and back without using any fuel.
‘Sure, but that’s also possible inside the i3 and for a range that’s considerably bigger!’ you’d say. And you’d be right. However, you couldn’t take the i3 on a long journey from New York to Los Angeles, for example, because you’d have to stop extremely often, even with the range extender. That’s no longer a problem in these vehicles.
The X5, for example, also has a conventional engine that uses ‘conventional’ fuel for a ‘conventional’ trip. No more range anxiety when leaving your hometown, no more endless stops for fuel. Furthermore, on the highway, the 240 HP of the engine under the front bonnet would be enough to make you happy wherever you go.
Need a little more grunt? Get the electric motor involved and you’ll soon have enough to scare grandma and the kids. With 340 HP and 600 Nm of torque (combined) you’ll be sending this 5,000 lbs car up into the 100 mph range in a jiffy. If there’s an urgent matter at hand, of course.
Die-hard fans will also point out that the battery and electric module will add up weight which, in turn, will make it less dynamic and more of a slouch. However, the first reviews of the prototypes offered for testing by BMW in France earlier this year, showed that the added weight is never felt and the car is even more precise and crisp than any other rival, especially due to its hybrid character as torque is available from 0 RPM.
So, in the end, what’s the problem with accepting these cars? Are we really that obtuse that we can’t accept change in any way, even though the advantages are plain obvious? What else could be so bad about them? Let's at least welcome and try to live with this new tech before it’s too late.
Back in the late 1990s when the Bavarians launched the X5 everyone was all worried that the ‘values’ and ‘DNA’ of the company will be gone and who knows what else could happen. Not even 10 years passed and everyone was loving what the Germans had built.
It’s all the same today with hybrids and electric vehicles. Give it 10 years and you’ll see how things change, everyone welcoming eDrive models and whatever other electric vehicles the blue and white roundel company might bring up.
And why wouldn’t they like an eDrive car? At the moment, all they have a quarrel with is the hybrid powertrain. Well, the way this kind of cars drive will surprise you.
They will be powered by a 2-liter inline 4-cylinder turbocharged engine with an undisclosed amount of power (probably close to 240 HP and 350 Nm of torque) joined by an electric unit that makes close to 90 HP and 250 Nm of torque (once again, these are estimates as the final figures haven’t been disclosed yet). For the EV side of the car there’s a decent battery included, probably somewhere around 7-8 kWh, enough to keep even a large SUV such as the X5 going for up to 18 miles and at speeds up to 75 mph.
Now, with the current ActiveHybrid models things are a lot more difficult. They don’t pose as much interest as these eDrive versions for a number of reasons. First of all, they are not pluggable. That means that their electricity comes from recuperation or other means, while the battery is extremely limited (only 2 or 3 miles of range on EV mode and at speeds up to around 50 mph). That makes them rather useless compared to other choices out there.
It’s not the case here. The X5 eDrive for example, was developed to solve a great deal of problems, especially inside crowded cities. According to BMW, the usual commute of an X5 owner is less than 18 miles a day. That means that a random person could go to work and back without using any fuel.
‘Sure, but that’s also possible inside the i3 and for a range that’s considerably bigger!’ you’d say. And you’d be right. However, you couldn’t take the i3 on a long journey from New York to Los Angeles, for example, because you’d have to stop extremely often, even with the range extender. That’s no longer a problem in these vehicles.
The X5, for example, also has a conventional engine that uses ‘conventional’ fuel for a ‘conventional’ trip. No more range anxiety when leaving your hometown, no more endless stops for fuel. Furthermore, on the highway, the 240 HP of the engine under the front bonnet would be enough to make you happy wherever you go.
Need a little more grunt? Get the electric motor involved and you’ll soon have enough to scare grandma and the kids. With 340 HP and 600 Nm of torque (combined) you’ll be sending this 5,000 lbs car up into the 100 mph range in a jiffy. If there’s an urgent matter at hand, of course.
Die-hard fans will also point out that the battery and electric module will add up weight which, in turn, will make it less dynamic and more of a slouch. However, the first reviews of the prototypes offered for testing by BMW in France earlier this year, showed that the added weight is never felt and the car is even more precise and crisp than any other rival, especially due to its hybrid character as torque is available from 0 RPM.
So, in the end, what’s the problem with accepting these cars? Are we really that obtuse that we can’t accept change in any way, even though the advantages are plain obvious? What else could be so bad about them? Let's at least welcome and try to live with this new tech before it’s too late.
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