BMW Not Aiming for more than 373 Miles (600km) of EV Range

[stein_325i]

https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/bmw...apped-at-600km

Originally Posted by Which Car

German luxury carmaker BMW says it is not pursuing a driving range greater than 600 kilometres for its electric vehicles (EVs), forcing Australian drivers to rely on charging infrastructure for long-distance travel.

When asked whether the company was developing EVs with 1000km of driving range, BMW i4 project leader David Ferrufino told WhichCar the company had made the decision to introduce a cap across its electrified line-up.

"One thousand kilometres of range is not a target we have with our fully-electric cars," Ferrufino said at a media conference this week.

"We are aiming for 600 kilometres [of driving range] for our fully-electric cars, and 100 kilometres with our plug-in hybrids in everyday driving."

The caps mean only those driving between Sydney and Canberra, or Melbourne and Hobart, will be able to do so on a single charge when driving an all-electric BMW. But the company says developments in technology are making long journeys viable.

"We not only have the advancements in battery technology, we also have the public charging network – which is growing rapidly. Going cross-country in Europe from Norway to Italy is already a joyful experience when you do it in an electric car," Ferrufino told WhichCar.

The 2022 BMW i4 offers a driving range of 590km on a single charge, but BMW claims the battery can be topped up from 10 to 80 per cent in 31 minutes using a 200kW DC fast charger – theoretically allowing for a touch over 1000km of range with a single half-hour break.

"The maximum range of the car is dependent on the segment of the vehicle where it is being offered," Ferrufino explained.

"For example, we don't think a range of 600 kilometres will be suitable for a BMW i3 as an urban car, but when it comes to the BMW iX or i4, we think that around 600 kilometres is a very customer-friendly solution," he said.

"So you have two things: you have the battery making more and more progress, but also charging speed and infrastructure making big steps forward."

Chinese carmakers have been pursuing 1000km of driving range in order to win buyers over from petrol and diesel vehicles, as it's the equivalent of travelling between the major cities of Shanghai and Wuhan.

In July 2021, Chinese companies Nio and GAC both claimed to have electric vehicles with 1000km of range about to enter production. If true, the cars would beat the Tesla Model S Long Range – the current title-holder – which lists a top of 652km.

[SteveinArizona]

BMW was an early electric adopter but has not become late to the game. I wonder, given these comments and the decision to put the bugs bunny grills on the new BEVs whether BMW management is trying to show that its customers don't want BEVs to justify continuing to sell its ICE cars.

[psyrd]

Market forces will fix that!

As soon as Merc, Tesla et al come out with 500 mile+ ranges bmw will be forced to follow suite.

[grumpyguy]

Just saw this…

https://www.bmwblog.com/2021/09/25/u...tric-vehicles/

[psyrd]

Originally Posted by grumpyguy

Just saw this…

https://www.bmwblog.com/2021/09/25/u...tric-vehicles/

Ha! So it was a BMW middle manager stepping out of line. Slap!

[grumpyguy]

Originally Posted by psyrd

Ha! So it was a BMW middle manager stepping out of line. Slap!

Yeah, something tells me David won't be speaking to the press any time soon.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by psyrd

Ha! So it was a BMW middle manager stepping out of line. Slap!

Reading between the lines, it was a truthful statement which is being "walked back". There is absolutely no commitment to a longer range, just some talk about keeping up. If and when BMW comes out with a BEV with a range longer than 600 KM, I will believe it was not a true statement of BMW intent.

[Germanauto]

I can understand their logic here. For 95% of customers that is enough range on a regular basis, and with added range comes added weight and cost. Lucid Air is able to do 500 mile range but that trim variant is going to cost about $170k and weigh as much as a semi truck. Despite rumblings from EV fanboys online and in the media, I appreciate BMW taking a pragmatic approach toward electrification.

The only way Audi was able to make this Q4 E-tron price meet the Q5 is by having a 0-60 time of 7 seconds and like 240 miles of range. The tech is getting there but still isn't comparable to ICE dollar for dollar.

However as somebody else mentioned, if competitors are chasing higher range then BMW will be forced to follow suit.

[SteveinArizona]

One of the problems with the range estimates is that they are based on driving that very few people do...at least where I live.

Highways here are generally 65 mph and most people drive at close to 75 mph. Add on AC running continuously (which BMW recommends and is mostly necessary in greater Phoenix) and the hit on expected range is significant as these two activities eat up electrons.

[ted99]

Lots of room for thought, here. Having now had 5 PHEV's and one EV I've developed some experience.
1. Most people don't need and shouldn't pay the weight and cost penalty of 300+ mile EV range, particularly if they have at-home/work charging.
2. For the next 5 years, or so, if you do the occasional long trip but only local driving in the main, a PHEV with 30+ miles EV range is the smart proposition. Yes, one is carrying around the weight of an ICE powertrain during local EV driving but that's probably less weight than the extra battery to go 250+ miles. BMW is making really good PHEV's.
3. In the long run, I expect that manufacturers will settle on an EV range of about 400 mi as optimum and once that is achieved, will focus their efforts on reducing weight of the battery packs. I base this opinion on a nominal long trip consisting of a 300 mile leg in the morning and a 300 mile leg in the afternoon/eve. This is a charging stop at noon and an 80% one in a mid-afternoon coffee stop, followed by an overnight charge. I think this is a useful "long trip" model. A 400 mi range does this.
4. But--the point that at the moment range is the major differentiating factor among the luxury makes is a very good one. I think BMW is going to have a hard time competing against the M-B EQS and EQE, Lucid, and even the Caddy Lyric with their current range; let alone Tesla. The Tesla S is not a luxury make, yet; despite it's luxury pricing and it's going to have stiff competition from the above makes in it's price range. I think BMW will be an also-ran because the number of luxury car buyers that understand that big ranges are superflous to most peoples needs is vanishingly small.