BMW i5 In 2018 To Have Very Electric Plug-In Hybrid

April 15, 2015 - PRLog -- Irvine BMW is excited to confirm,

According to reports out of Germany, the next vehicle in the "i" family will be called the BMW i5--and it will be a plug-in hybrid sport sedan that can run the majority of the time on electric power only. But the putative i5 sedan will have far more electric capability than the 2016 BMW X5 xDrive 40e plug-in hybrid SUV to be launched this month.

That's BMW's first of several plug-in hybrids with an estimated 12 to 15 miles of electric range under low to moderate acceleration and around-town speeds.

·      The front motor alone is rated at 150 kW (201 hp), on top of the engine output.

·      With a total output of more than 500 kW (670 hp), BMW says the vehicle can operate solely on electric power throughout fully two-thirds of its usage cycle.

Today's plug-in hybrids use a gasoline engine that gets assist from electric motors, which also provide 12 to 25 miles of all-electric range under low to average power demand.

But the Power eDrive system is designed to offer far more electric-only driving for up to 50 miles, with the gas engine used only under maximum acceleration and at highway speeds.

The BMW i5 is said to switch on its engine under maximum power demand only above 36 mph (60 km/h).

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