The BMW Group is planning to launch plug-in hybrid versions of its core models as part of a “multi-track approach to sustainable mobility”.
The company is to demonstrate a BMW 3 Series plug-in hybrid prototype at its Miramas test track in France, along with a new generation of hybrid vehicle concepts incorporating technology already used in BMW i models.
BMW said the plug-in hybrid technology is so flexible that it can be integrated in a wide variety of vehicle concepts, making it possible to deploy it rapidly across the company’s model range.
The technology will allow BMW to introduce high-performance vehicles with CO2 emissions well below 100gm/km.
The plug-in hybrid models being demonstrated will feature highly efficient internal combustion engines and electric motors
powered by an externally rechargeable high-voltage battery.
The electric drive can be used to power the car for shorter commutes; for longer journeys the vehicles will usually operate in “combined mode”, with both systems working together.