Fully Electric Versions of 5 Series, 7 Series on the Way
According to a German newspaper, BMW is designing a flagship, electric 7 Series, to be followed by an electric 5 Series.
Currently, the only fully electric BMW models available for Bimmerphiles are the diminutive i3 and i3s. BMW’s small but fashionable EV has been around for four years now. It’s a decent little vehicle but has been criticized for its lack of range and relatively high price. The i3’s small size makes it ideal for the urban jungle but the frugal range makes it unsuited for longer trips. The only other vehicle currently in BMW’s “i” lineup of cars is the i8, which is an exotic, hybrid sports car that combines electric power with a 3-cylinder gas engine.
BMW recently announced a PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) version of the X1, which will be joined later by an X2 with the same technology. There are also multiple other BMW PHEV models currently available. It was only a matter of time of course before the minds over at Bayerische Motoren Werke AG started building fully electric versions of some of their more longstanding models.
According to the website Electrive, if BMW’s new CEO Oliver Zipse has his way, the i3 and the various PHEV models will be joined in the lineup by a fully electric 7 Series by 2022. The 7 Series EV will be joined later on by a fully electric 5 Series. Zipse replaced Harald Krüger as BMW’s CEO last summer. The move to electric versions across the BMW range is part of Zipse’s long term strategy for the Bavarian automaker. The electric 5 Series and 7 Series models are in line with BMW’s newly devised approach of having the ability to install any type of drive system in any BMW model with specially developed assemblies.
Electrive quotes a German newspaper Handelsblatt. According to the newspaper, only the most powerful 7 Series’ will be marketed as a fully electric vehicle. It notes that the electric 7 Series primary competition will be the Telsa Model S and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS. Though it doesn’t mention it, the Porsche Taycan will also be a competitor. Handelsblatt also quotes Zipse as saying that the new models will represent another “great leap” for BMW.
Though BMW is coming to the fully electric luxury sedan segment later than Porsche and Tesla, there’s no reason to doubt that the electric versions of the 5 Series and 7 series will be as well-engineered and developed as the impressive Taycan sedan and Tesla Model S. There’s no telling what the power output of either the electric 5 Series or the 7 Series will be. But judging from a test vehicle BMW presented last year, it should be impressive. According to BMW, the “Power BEV” test vehicle could accelerate from zero-to-100 km/h in under three seconds.
According to Electrive, “BMW says it is investing around 400 million euros in adapting production in Dingolfing, where today the PHEV versions of the 5 and 7 series are assembled, and where the purely electric versions… would also come off the assembly line.” Fortunately for enthusiasts of gas-powered BMWs, the company will continue to offer 5-Series and 7-Series models as diesel, gasoline, and hybrid variants.
Photos: BMW