BMW considers installing internal combustion engines in flagship electric vehicles, — Bloomberg

The BMW iX5 SUV and BMW i7 sedan may get versions with an extended range (EREV) by installing a gasoline engine as a generator. This was reported by Bloomberg citing anonymous sources.

What is known

According to the media, BMW believes that the i7 sedan and the future iX5 are large enough to accommodate a compact gasoline engine without disrupting the overall design. The company manufactures the engines independently, so integrating one into a large electric vehicle should help reduce development costs and shorten the time to market for such a vehicle.

Extended-range electric vehicles function like regular electric vehicles, driven by one or more electric motors. However, there is also a small internal combustion engine that works exclusively as a generator for the battery, burning fuel to increase range in the absence of nearby charging stations.

For BMW, the key factor is the Chinese market, where local manufacturers such as BYD have achieved significant success with EREV models.

The company continues to explore possibilities, and the timing for the release of the new generation of BMW EREV has not yet been announced. Representatives of the German manufacturer reported that the company constantly analyzes vehicle usage concepts, customer needs, and market trends, assessing the market potential of various technologies.

Source: Bloomberg