2016 BMW 740e eDrive PHEV — Most Recent Offering In Company’s Fast Embrace Of EVs

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BMW’s recently revealed plans to transition its full lineup to electric vehicles are moving along fairly fast, based on the recent reveal of the 2016 BMW 740e eDrive plug-in hybrid (PHEV) — which represents the fifth plug-in revealed by BMW in recent times.

The other four models are, of course, the i3, the i8, the 330e, and the recently revealed X5 xDrive 40e SUV PHEV. The new model — the 2016 BMW 740e eDrive PHEV — will actually use the exact same PHEV drivetrain as the X5 xDrive 40e SUV PHEV.

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While the drivetrain will be the same, some other features will vary of course — including the addition of a removable touchscreen interface.

Our sister site Gas2 provides a bit more information:

At the heart of the 740e is a 2.0 liter gas engine and an electric motor that, at least in the X5, combine to produce 309 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. Don’t be surprised if BMW manages to squeeze a bit more power out of its flagship sedan, though a turbocharged inline-six and twin-turbo V8 are also available for power junkies. For those who prefer efficiency, the BMW 740e will offer 23 miles of all-electric driving at speeds of up to 75 MPH, after which the gas engine kicks in. A caron fiber-reinforced core helped BMW shed nearly 90kgs/200 pounds off the new 7 Series compared to the outgoing model, while adding lots of nifty new features.

The BMW iDrive carries on strong, but it’s now coupled to a center-mounted touchscreen and includes five gesture controls allowing you to adjust the volume and accept or decline calls, as well as a programmable two-finger “jab” that can change the radio station or set your navigation system to take you home. BMW also included a removable rear touchscreen tablet that can be used to adjust the climate control and radio volume for passengers in the back seats. Talk about fancy, eh?

Pricing information has yet to be made available by BMW, but going by the company’s other models, you can probably expect the PHEV version to retail a bit higher than the other versions. A US release date will probably be set sometime in early to mid 2016.

Image Credit: BMW


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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