Tesla has a strong foot in the electric car segment; but BMW, another leading luxury car manufacturer, is not going to give up easily.
The company is all set to launch a new luxury sedan, the i5 which will be a fully electric vehicle designed to beat Tesla’s most successful Model S cars. The German automaker has already successfully ventured into the world of electric and hybrid cars. They have launched the plug-in model i8 Sports 2015 edition which offers an amazing acceleration capacity of 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.4 seconds. Their other model, the i3, is a hatchback which has great fuel economy and delivers 100 miles on a single charge.
Continuing their line-up, BMW is going to launch three different variants of the i5. One of them will be a plug-in, another a hybrid and the third one will be a fully electric sedan. Talking to a German newspaper, BMW’s CEO commented that the market is open and could easily accommodate an all-electric luxury sedan. It is the first hint towards the manufacturer creating an e-car that could compete with Tesla on the same platform.
In terms of design, the upcoming model is expected to borrow some of the elements from the 5-series, but will have a wide range of amazing features packed into it. When they term it as a luxury sedan, you can surely expect the car to have posh interiors, an advanced infotainment system and peripherals to justify the claim. However, the biggest challenge lies in the mileage. The Tesla Model S offers a massive range of 270 miles on a single charge. The company is also planning to setup charging stations in New York and expand the plan to other cities where there are plenty of Model S owners.
A fully electric car like the BMW i5 should offer at least 270 miles or higher so as to impress the customers to go for it. Besides, the issue with charging stations persists not just for the automaker, but for every other manufacturer. They could collaborate with garages in urban locations and highways to support their electric cars. An alternative way is for a third party provider to offer charging stations in key locations where anyone could charge their vehicle for a nominal fee.
Pure electric vehicles seem to be the future to overcome emission regulations and to create a greener planet. Tesla has already set the benchmark and now it’s time for everyone else to follow suit.
