You Thought BMW Was All-In on Electric — Now Its Flagship EVs Might Also Run on Gas

• BMW is looking into bringing back range extenders for some of its EVs.
• The German brand used a gas engine in the quirky first-generation i3 to boost its range.
• Now, the setup could return in the large iX5 SUV and i7 sedan.

BMW is on a roll with its Neue Klasse platform for electric vehicles. The first model underpinned by the new architecture, the iX3 crossover, looks like it’s a really well-rounded EV, with plenty of range, a cosy interior and very fast charging speeds.

But it might not be enough for people who have more money to spend and can’t be bothered to mess around with charging apps on their phones, especially on long trips. So BMW is reportedly weighing adding gas engines to some of its high-end electric models, which would transform them into extended-range electric vehicles or EREVs.

The German automaker might go down the range extender route for cars like the i7 large electric sedan and the upcoming iX5 electric SUV, according to a report from Bloomberg quoting people familiar with the company’s strategy.

The unnamed sources claim the two big EVs are big enough to fit a small gas engine without disrupting the overall structure. BMW already makes small engines in-house, so shoehorning one under the skin of a big EV should help keep development costs down. It can also shorten the time it takes to bring such a vehicle to the market.

In an EREV, the car works as an EV, powered by a high-voltage battery and one or more electric motors. However, unlike a traditional EV, there’s also a small combustion engine that only acts as a generator for the battery, burning fuel to extend the driving range when there are no chargers nearby or the driver doesn’t feel like stopping for a top-up.

The same approach was taken by Scout Motors, which will offer its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup as EREVs with a small gas engine mounted next to the rear electric motor. Stellantis’ Ram also canceled its all-electric pickup to focus exclusively on an extended-range model that uses a V-6 engine to boost the range when the state of charge is low.

For BMW, it all comes down to the Chinese market, where local players like BYD have had great success with EREVs. The German luxury automaker undoubtedly wants a bigger piece of the huge Chinese car market, so it’s trying to cater to local preferences more, just like Volkswagen and Audi chose to develop cars specifically for the region.

All this being said, the company is still testing the waters, and there’s no word on when a new generation of BMW EREVs will become available. The German manufacturer said it is “continuously analyzing usage patterns, customer needs and market developments and reviewing the market potential of various technologies.”