BMW Might Be Planning i5 and i7 Plug-in Hybrids to Take on Tesla S

Read Time:1 Minute, 45 Second

It seems that the German based carmaker is on a constant fight against its rival in the United States, Tesla, which is strongly working on the new Tesla S. As opposed to that, BMW is also reported to cross its thumbs on the future i5 and i7 plug-in hybrids, working thus on the so called F18 PHEV project.

There is no official report on such matter, but according to CAR, the BMW is indeed preparing the two hybrids, which will be based on the 5-series four-door model with long-wheelbase, destined for the Chinese market alone and with design lines taken from the present 6-Series.

Sine we are talking here about stretch platforms, it would be logic to say that BMW i5 and i7 will use higher batteries for extra range mile, while another advantage would be the wider space inside the cabin.

Since we are talking about batteries, it would come in handy to state that both plug-in hybrids will use all three driving modes, depending on the power source. The FWD and the RWD will be used mainly on electric power, while the AWD will go on hybrid power.

With all that, BMW will not take away the conventional engine, meaning that the i5 and the i7 will come with a four-cylinder unit, developing 250 horsepower. The engine will be backed up by an electric motor at the front, with an additional 200 horsepower, while the one found at the rear, will give an extra 100 horsepower. So imagine what both of them could do with an overall of 550 horsepower.

That would be quite impressive for BMW i5 and i7 plug-in hybrids, as performance would seat around 80 mile range, which is significantly improved, as opposed to the Tesla Model S, which would go for an amazing 265 miles. But BMW will figure a way out to solve this “small” problem, until 2018, when the two models might be officially unveiled at the 2018 Frankfurt Motor Show.