BMW to significantly increase electric spending
And there are 20 new or revised models on the way
BMW has committed to boosting its spend on electric vehicle development this year, with board members revealing the planned investment in a press conference last month.
Harald Kruger, chairman of the BMW Group board of management, used his time at the microphone to outline the brand's planned electric rollout. It'll start with the iX3, before expanding to include the iNext and i4.
"Our future is definitely electric," Kruger unequivocally stated during his remarks.
Having invested a not-inconsiderable €6.108 million ($9.74m) in electric mobility and autonomy last year, BMW says that figure could jump to €7.0 million ($11.17m) during the 2018 financial year.
Speaking to media at a special event in Munich last year, Dr. Ian Robertson, member of the BMW AG board of management, outlined how the company will push electric cars to market.
A range of modular platforms will underpin the brand's next-generation cars, with separate platforms for passenger cars and SUVs. Four-motor units ranging from 100kW to 300+kW in output will be used, along with batteries in 60kWh, 99kWh and 120kWh capacities.
Electric models will be badged 30e, 40e and 50e – in keeping with the current plug-in hybrid iPerformance naming structure, which has little to do with displacement or engine output, they're largely arbitrary numbers.
Cars with the 100kW motor are expected to hit 100km/h in around 6.0 seconds, while the quickest offerings care likely to dip into the low-3.0-second bracket.
“The now fifth-generation of our e-drives will launch in 2021, with the BMW iNext," Robertson said.
"We are talking about a scalable modular system here, which means that the technology can also be fitted in models that will have been launched by then. In other words, at this point, we will be able to semi- or fully electrify any model, depending on market demand.”
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