BMW ups premium EV offering

The BMW i7 eDrive 50 is the latest addition to BMW group’s EV fleet as it looks to “further increase the appeal and diversity of the BMW product range from summer 2023”. The firm believes the new model “expands the brand’s offering in the luxury segment”.

New technologies, in the form of multi-contract plug & charge and max range functions, have also been announced — developments that the German OEM state will make “electric mobility even more convenient”.

Multi-contract plug & charge allows BMW’s EV range to perform “automatic vehicle authentication at public charging points” by storing customers’ individual charging point contracts. Upon arriving at a public EV charger, the vehicle will exchange this data, which BMW says will “do away with the need for a charging card or app”.

With BMW seeing itself as the sole manufacturer to offer multi-contract technology to its customers, the company believes it is unmatched in its ability to make EV charging easy and seamless.

Max range is a further technological development that BMW expects will add to the appeal of its EVs. This function is said to offer drivers “greater flexibility” when embarking on long journeys, increasing their vehicles’ range by up to 25pc by limiting speed to 90km/h while disabling several energy-consuming features like climate control and seat heating.

BMW credits max range as providing a substantive solution to “situations where drivers are unable to recharge mid-journey” owing to the charging station they were heading to being out of service or at maximum capacity. This low-power mode will extend “the range by a comfortable margin for the journey to an alternative charging point for the high-voltage battery”.

The manufacturer also intends to provide customers with several new features in the future, including route planning according to a predetermined minimum battery level that is determined by the driver. Routes will also be able to be based upon which charging companies customers have contracts with, as well as providing live updates on charger availability at charging points.