BMW CAPS EV range at 375 miles
BMW has decided to cap the range of its electric cars to 375 miles, and its PHEVs to 60 miles, and won’t be competing in the range war.
But with a few exceptions – like the MINI Electric and Honda-e – car makers seem to think that the only way to ‘sell’ the electric car idea is to add bigger and bigger batteries to make EVs go further than ever.
We’re now seeing ranges well in excess of 400 miles from cars like the Mercedes EQS, Tesla Model S and Lucid Air – and cars with 600 miles of EV range expected from China – but it seems range chasing is something BMW has decided not to indulge in.
According to WhichCar, BMW’s i4 project leader, David Ferrufino, has revealed that BMW has put a cap on the range they’re offering for EVs, citing 600km (375 miles) as the maximum any BMW EV will need (and less for urban-focused cars like the i3) and a maximum of 100km (62 miles) for PHEVs.
The argument is that stopping for half an hour every 300 and odd miles for a recharge is far better than lugging around ever bigger batteries, and with the rapid charging infrastructure growing quickly there’s no need to aim for the added cost of longer range with bigger batteries.
It’s a perfectly sane argument from BMW, but is the only way to flog EVs to give them a range greater than the most economical diesels?
We’re with BMW.
Peter Szczesiak says
I agree with BMW we have an I3 Rex 250 miles using the Rex and 150 without, its enough for most journeys and saves wasting fuel dragging around a huge battery that you need 1% of the time.
Wolfie says
Wrong move, BMW. Manufacturers should be aiming for 600+ miles if they want to compete with ICE cars. Think about it; as soon as you start using any auxiliaries such as lights or air con, the range drops significantly. That 375 miles is more likely to be 200 in the real world.