Plug-in hybrids are widely considered a stopgap technology until full electrification takes over. However, a purely electric future still seems very much distant, so we reckon that PHEVs will be with us for many years ahead. BMW combines combustion engines with electric motors in many models, from the compact X1 to the gargantuan XM.
Faster battery charging is coming for these two SUVs, the 2 Series Active Tourer minivan, and the 7 Series sedan. As part of the brand’s spring updates in Europe, announced this week, BMW is boosting the AC charging rate from 7.4 kW to 11 kW. If that sounds familiar, the new M5 received an identical improvement before customer deliveries even started.
Considering that BMW is willing to improve PHEVs, it’s a real shame the new 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe have skipped electrification yet again. The compact hatchback and sedan are not available as PHEVs, and that’s unlikely to change throughout their life cycles. While the Bavarians offer plug-in hybrids strictly with gas engines, archrival Mercedes-Benz also has diesel PHEVs.
We can’t help but wonder whether lessons learned from developing the Neue Klasse platform will be applied to PHEVs. All-new EVs, like the iX3 coming this year and the i3 in 2026, will have different battery packs. Instead of the existing Gen5 prismatic cells, BMW’s next-generation electric cars will utilize Gen6 round cells. BMW is increasing energy density by 20% while the charging speed and range are going up by 30%. Hopefully, these advancements will trickle down to PHEVs and their smaller battery packs.
In the meantime, nearly all future gas BMWs will also have a charging port, with at least two exceptions. From what we’ve heard, the next-gen X6 (G66) and X7 (G67) will once again skip a PHEV drivetrain. However, the X5 (G65) will include a successor to today’s xDrive50e. The 3 Series sedan (G50) and wagon (G51) will also be partially electrified.
Source: BMW
