BMW Embraces EVs, Hybrids

BMW announced plans to bring 12 new all-electric cars to market by 2025 including five in the next two years, at its annual shareholders meeting in Munich on March 20. Including the current i3, the first five will include the Mini Electric (2019) the iX3 SUV (2020), the i4 sedan (2021) and iNext SUV (2021).

In addition to the EVs, the company plans to offer 13 plug-in hybrids, including longer-range plug-in versions of the 3-Series, 7-Series, X3, and X5.

The company provided more details on its upcoming EV powertrains, including that the iX3 SUV will be the first model to use BMW’s fifth-generation electric powertrain architecture with a densely constructed battery pack to save weight and cost, and increase capacity. This architecture uses motors with no rare-earth metals making them cheaper to produce.