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| The BMW Brilliance plug-in hybrid concept. Click to enlarge. |
BMW Group and its Chinese joint venture partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. have presented a concept plug-in hybrid sedan based on the long wheelbase version of the BMW 5 Series Sedan. The plug-in was developed exclusively for the Chinese automobile market and produced at the Shenyang site. Series production of the automobile is to start in China in 2013.
The parallel hybrid system consists of a 160 kW (215 hp) BMW TwinPower Turbo engine and an electrical motor with a maximum output of 70 kW. The electrical motor draws its energy from a high-voltage battery pack, housed in the luggage compartment, which can be charged via the grid.
When running purely on electrical power, it is possible to travel for up to 75 kilometers (47 miles) at a constant speed of 60 km/h (37 mph). Use of the combustion engine provides a minimum additional range of 400 kilometers (249 miles), which is in line with the driving profile of Chinese customers in the premium segment, BMW says.
The model-specific components for the plug-in hybrid drive, power electronics and high-volt battery were developed in close collaboration between the joint venture partners BMW Group and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. The project drew intensively on the drive expertise of the BMW Group as well as the know-how built-up in China in the field of electromobility so as to take account of the latest technological innovations and also tap into scientific insights regarding the potential uses of a new energy vehicle.
The prototype plug-in is part of the BMW Group’s electromobility strategy for China. The road map for a new energy vehicle presented at Auto China 2010 in Beijing includes the consistent expansion of both development expertise and value-creation potential in China. The BMW Group is running a number of projects to support the market launch of electrically powered vehicles in China.
The very first German-Chinese research project, a co-operative venture with Tongji University in Shanghai, saw the development of a purely electrically powered BMW 5 Series in the long wheelbase version. The worldwide MINI E fleet trial was extended to China at the beginning of the year, involving the sites of Beijing and Shenzhen.
The MINI E is being tested for everyday use at these locations by a consortium made up of the energy partners State Grid Corporation and Southern Grid as well as the China Automotive Technology and Research Corporation (CATARC). This also applies to field testing of the BMW ActiveE. This purely electrically powered vehicle based on the BMW 1 Series Coupé will be put to use in China in the course of this year.
With its extensive field testing in what it terms the most important automobile markets, BMW says it is gathering insights into user behavior and the requirements of local supply infrastructures. The experience thus gained is being fed both into the BMW Group’s global electromobility strategy and the development of the new energy vehicle for China.