BMW Pumps Plug-In Pride In Frankfurt

FYI, a group of lions = a pride.

Via EV Obsession:

BMW is without a doubt one of the large automakers most serious about the electric vehicle transition, or electrification of passenger transport. I put BMW #2 or #3, only behind Tesla and perhaps Nissan. The German premium-brand giant reinforced that yesterday at the Frankfurt Motor Show by focusing on the i brand right at the beginning of a speech by Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. (h/t joanbowen)

Of course, BMW has quite a lot to brag about. In a separate news release, BMW wrote, “BMW i is already the brand to have won most awards during its introductory phase in the history of motoring.” After a generic intro, Krüger spent about half his time discussing the BMW i brand.

Since the last IAA motor show, we have launched more than 30 new models. And that includes unique innovations like our BMW i8 super sports car with plug-in hybrid — which was awarded the “World Green Car” as well as the “Sports Car of the Year”. BMW i is already available in 36 countries.

In the US, one in six electric cars is a BMW i3, and here in Germany, one in every four. And in China, the BMW i3 as both BEV and REX, has now been listed in the “5th Catalogue of New Energy Vehicles Exempted from Purchase Tax”. This means that customers who buy the BMW i3 from now up to the end of 2017 will enjoy an exemption from purchase tax.

We firmly believe that: Electric drivetrains are part of our industry’s future — battery-powered in urban settings and fuel cell for long distances. Everyone can experience electric driving pleasure with the i3 with DriveNow in Germany, the UK and Denmark. There are now 400 i3s on the roads in Copenhagen. That is the largest electric car-sharing fleet in any city in the world. This is our approach — to make easy access to electro-mobility possible for everyone.

Plenty to brag about. BMW may not be at the level of Tesla or Nissan, but it is certainly trying to be a leader and is in fact #1 in some categories.

In a long press release about the various models BMW has at the Frankfurt Motor Show, aside from mentioning the i3 and i8, the company discussed various newer plug-in models — the 225xe, 330e, 740e, and X5 xDrive40e.

“This means that… the BMW eDrive technology initially developed for BMW i cars will already be available for BMW models spanning four different vehicle segments in 2016,” BMW noted.

While BMW didn’t announce any wild, long-range concept EVs like Porsche and Audi did, I think it’s safe to say that many of us appreciate its more realistic, currently available lineup… it would just be nice if it brought more fully electric models to the market.