From Guest Blogger Jordan: BMW Announces X5 Plug-in Hybrid To Go Into Production

Although BMW has been working on the development of plug-in hybrid technology for a while now, it has yet to introduce a hybrid vehicle to the market. They recently launched their first all-electric car, the i3, in several markets, including Asia-Pacific and Europe, with deliveries in the U.S. expected to start in May 2014, but they haven’t offered a plug-in hybrid model so far, even though the German luxury car maker has unveiled several concepts in recent years. However, it seems that this is about to change, as BMW announced recently that the hybrid version of the X5 SUV is finally ready for production.

The X5 plug-in Hybrid concept was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, and it was dubbed X5 eDrive. Now, the company confirmed that it plans to introduce it to the market by 2016. An updated version of the BMW X5 eDrive concept was revealed at the 2014 New York Auto Show, and it’s safe to say that the production version will look a lot like the vehicle that was shown in Manhattan last week.

It uses the platform of the third-generation X5 luxury SUV, which is offered with a six- and an eight-cylinder engine in the U.S. For the plug-in version, the German automaker has replaced these engines with a 2-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine, that delivers 245 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque, that works together with a 70-kilowatt electric motor, that delivers an additional 95 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque. The motor, which is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission, gets its power from a 9-kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the floor. Owners will be able to charge the battery of the X5 eDrive using a standard wall outlet in their garages.

According to BMW, the concept that was shown in New York gets an average fuel consumption of 74 mpg on European test cycles, and the company says that considering that the average trip of X5 owners is about 20 miles, the all-electric range of 19 miles that the X5 eDrive has achieved during testing should be enough for potential buyers who are likely to be interested in a hybrid version of the popular SUV. As far as performance is concerned, BMW says that it is able to reach a top speed of 75 mph in electric mode, with a 7-second 0-60 mph time.

There are various driving modes that a driver can choose from. When you first push the start button, it activates the default Auto eDrive mode, which is essentially the hybrid mode, where the electric motor is used primarily, with the gasoline engine automatically activated when the car reaches 42 mph. When driving in Max eDrive mode, the vehicle runs on electricity only. This is the best option when driving in the city, because of the start-stop system, which recharges the battery through the regenerative braking feature.

While there is no information on the price yet, the cost of the gasoline and the diesel X5 can be used as a reference, considering that it employs the same platform, but with the addition of a battery pack, which means that it will cost somewhere between $65,000 and $70,000.