BMW is planning to expand their range of electric hybrid vehicles so as to take another step into fully electric cars. The technology is already found in their top of the line i8 cars and in the X5 xDrive40e.

New update confirmed that the company is going to add the petrol-electric hybrid engine to three new models including the 330e, 740e and the 225xe. For buyers who have plans to purchase the 225xe Active Tourer from the 2 series models, the manufacturer will provide them complete control over their vehicles. The driver will be able to decide whether power is shared between all wheels or is focused on the front or back wheels as required. There will be multiple modes to choose from, based on ground conditions.

The 225xe is powered by a turbocharged 1.5 liter three pot petrol engine which is capable of rendering a decent 134bhp to the front. It uses a six speed automatic transmission box, while the rear wheels are powered by the electric motor that renders 88bhp and uses a fixed ratio gearbox.

If you are planning to go for a budget friendly hybrid or an electric car, it is not possible to expect too much mileage at the moment. The BMW vehicle offers 25 miles on full charge, but you can choose to keep the power as a reserve, while driving using the conventional gasoline motor. The advantage of hybrid vehicles rely on the fact that they can run using the combined power of the electric motor and the gasoline motor.

When pitched together, the BMW 225xe active tourer is capable of delivering an impressive 221bhp to all four wheels at once. With the combined power, the car is capable of accelerating from 0 to 62 miles per hour in just 6.7 seconds. Considering the fact that it is a large SUV, the acceleration is much higher with the hybrid variant.

BMW will introduce the plug-in hybrid variant to the 3 series, 330e which is powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged petrol engine. The electric motor in the vehicle, when combined with the conventional motor, delivers 248 bhp. The top end variant is the 740e in the 7 series, which offers a combined power of 321bhp. However, in all these models, the electric motor has a meager 25 mile range, which might put off people who wish to switch to an all-electric vehicle. Tesla has promised that they will be launching a budget e-car priced at $35,000 in 2017.