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BMW 330e Plug-in Hybrid Unveiled in Full Ahead of Frankfurt

As we’re getting ready to check out the Frankfurt Motor Show this year, all sorts of cars are being unveiled by various manufacturers hoping to monetize on behalf of the upcoming event. That’s where the eyes of the world will be fixed on for two weeks and all the hottest cars will be available for viewing.
BMW 330e Plug-in Hybrid 49 photos
Photo: BMW
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BMW is one of the companies that will be bringing an impressive arsenal to Frankfurt. One of their biggest launches will be the new 330e plug-in hybrid model, a first for the 3 Series range, following in the footsteps of the X5, xDrive40e model.

However, as the name suggests, there are significant differences between the two, in various areas. Under the bonnet of the 330e lies a 2-liter 4-cylinder petrol turbocharged engine making 184 HP unlike on the X5 where a similar engine was tweaked to make some 60 HP more.

At the same time, since this is a hybrid that you occasionally plug-in, there’s an electric motor on board as well, good for 88 HP. This one is not located under the bonnet but inside the gearbox housing, an interesting approach BMW decided to go with.

That unit also provides 100 Nm of torque (73.7 lb-ft) to the car at all times but, in times of need, that figure can go up to 250 Nm (184 lb-ft).

Unfortunately, unlike on the i8 for example, the figures of the two plants don’t add up perfectly. The maximum output of the 330e raises up to 252 HP and makes it even with the 330i version that uses only a 2-liter 4-cylinder internal combustion engine taken up to this exact amount of power.

However, if you take a closer look, you’ll notice the advantages of the hybrid such as an emission-free range of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) and CO2 emissions when both motors are running of 44 to 49 grams per kilometer. Fuel consumption sits at 1.9 to 2.1 l/100 km otherwise (124 mpg to 112 mpg).

There are some downsides as well. The energy needed for the electric motor has to be stored somewhere, right? Well, that somewhere is a pack of batteries that add up to a total of 7.6 kWh that are sitting under the floor in the boot. Recharging it takes over 3 hours from a conventional plug and a little over half of that if you use a dedicated charging port.

That also means that the batteries add up to the total weight of the car that went to 1.8 tons, as much as a 5 Series. Even so, the acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) when in Sport mode will take just 6.3 seconds which is about as fast as a manual MINI John Cooper Works that weighs 600 kilos (1,322 lbs) less and has 231 HP to rely on.
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