BMW e-mobility expansion is two years ahead of schedule
BMW is rapidly advancing its electromobility expansion programme. It will now achieve a total of 25 electrified models previously announced for 2025 two years earlier, in 2023. Thanks to flexible vehicle development for fully-electric, plug-in hybrid and combustion engines. More than half of these models will be fully electric.
The future
As part of the new #NEXTGen programme, BMW is showcasing the next generation of mobility concepts. The BMW Vision M NEXT sportscar already provides a glimpse of the brand’s future plans. The BMW Motorrad Vision DC Roadster showcases the future plans of BMW Motorrad.
“We are moving up a gear in the transformation towards sustainable mobility, thereby making our company fit for the future: Over the past two years, we have consistently taken numerous decisions that we are now bringing to the roads. By 2021, we will have doubled our sales of electrified vehicles compared with 2019. We will offer 25 electrified vehicles already in 2023 – two years earlier than originally planned. We expect to see a steep growth curve towards 2025: Sales of our electrified vehicles should increase by an average of 30 per cent every year.” Harald Krüger, Chairman, Board of Management, BMW
The Plan
By the end of 2019, BMW is aiming at more than half a million vehicles with fully-electric or plug-in hybrid drivetrain on the roads. Within two years, it plans to offer five fully-electric series-production vehicles: Alongside the BMW i3. Followed in 2020 by the fully-electric iX3 and, in 2021, the iNEXT, followed by the i4. BMW already showcased updated plug-in-hybrid versions of the 3 Series, 7 Series, and the X5 alongside the new X3 plug-in hybrid at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. By the end of this year, the company also plans plug-in hybrid versions of the 5 Series and 2 Series Active Tourer with longer electric range. These will be followed next year by the X1 and the 3 Series Touring as plug-in hybrids.
BMW eDrive Zones standard in plug-in hybrids from 2020
The eDrive Zones function demonstrates the role of plug-in hybrids towards achieving zero-emission mobility. In cities that establish “green zones” for emission-free driving, geofencing technology will recognise these automatically. When the vehicle enters one of these zones, it will automatically switch to purely electric driving mode. The plugin hybrids will behave like fully-electric vehicles in these zones. It will reduce operating costs for the vehicles thereby maximizing efficiency.
“Our vision is clear: sustainable mobility, produced in a sustainable manner. We have set ourselves the goal of only buying electricity from renewable energy sources for all our locations worldwide from 2020,” said Krüger. “We fulfil our social responsibility – in all its different facets. We are firmly committed to emission-free driving. At the same time, we stand by our corporate responsibility towards our employees, shareholders and investors.”
