BMW X5 Plug-In Hybrid: The Complete Guide For India

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Electric Cars: The Basics

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For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

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The BMW X5 SUV PHEV

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BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG), is a leading global automotive manufacturer headquartered in Munich, Germany. BMW is well known for its portfolio of luxury vehicles, to include the famed Rolls-Royce luxury cars. The group manufacturers a number of cars under its BMW brand, to include battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The company currently has the following portfolio of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs):

• BMW 225xe Active Tourer PHEV
• BMW 330e Saloon PHEV
• BMW 330e Touring PHEV
• BMW 530e Saloon PHEV
• BMW 530e Touring PHEV
• BMW 745e PHEV
• BMW X1 xDrive25e PHEV
• BMW X2 xDrive25e PHEV
• BMW X3 xDrive30e PHEV
• BMW X5 xDrive45e PHEV

The BMW X5 luxury SUV has been on sale since 1998. The SUV is manufactured in a number of global locations to include the United States of America and Mexico. The BMW X5 is available as plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

If you are seeking a larger upmarket SUV that can deliver lower driving costs for shorter distances, the latest generation BMW X5 plug-in hybrid SUV is worth considering. The electric vehicle (EV) has a much larger than average onboard EV battery, compared to other PHEVs. The X5 xDrive45e has a 22.29 kWh EV battery, with a WLTP certified electric range up to 54 miles.

Though the real-world electric range will be lower, the EV is well positioned for urban driving and shorter motorway trips and should be able to deliver close to 50 miles emission-free. Real-world e-range is impacted by a number of factors, to include: the way the electric vehicle (EV) is driven, road conditions, passenger load, regenerative braking profile, speed, wheel size, weather conditions, etc. Of course, if the driving profile involves higher speeds and sportier performance, the EV range will be impacted further.

By leveraging the hybrid technology i.e. an internal combustion engine (ICE) paired with an electric motor, this large family hybrid SUV achieves both, lower tailpipe emissions and financial savings. The X5 plug-in hybrid has claimed tailpipe emissions up to 31g (CO2/km), much lower than the conventional petrol engine X5 SUV (249g CO2/km). Lower tailpipe emissions help improve local air quality.

Given that the average distanced travelled per day is a mere 30 miles, with the BMW X5 EV battery kept topped-up on regular basis, the electric vehicle (EV) owner can leverage the cheaper cost of zero-emission electric driving, and increase the overall fuel economy of the EV. BMW claims the plug-in hybrid can achieve up to 235.4 mpg, but in the real-world, the fuel economy will depend on the use of the electric mode. The greater the EV is driven on zero-tailpipe emissions, the better the fuel economy.

We recommend charging the EV overnight at the convenience of your home, when the electricity tariff rates are lower. It is worth noting that the onboard charger for the X5 PHEV is limited to 3.7 kW. Given the size of the onboard EV battery and the premium-badge, a 7.4 kW onboard charger should have been incorporated as standard.

Charging the EV from 0% to 100% SoC (state-of-charge) using a dedicated EV charger like Easee will take up to 7.25 hours. We encourage EV charging via a dedicated residential EV charger, and discourage the use of a domestic 3-PIN plug. An EV charging station is safer and achieves a faster charging speed. The X5 EV does not offer fast DC charging.

The X5 EV delivers a decent driving performance. The all-wheel drive X5 plug-in hybrid pairs a 3.0-litre (six-cylinder) petrol engine with an electric motor (83 kW). Given the size of the EV, the acceleration achieved is decent: 0-62 mph in 5.6 seconds (maximum power: 394 hp). The top speed on electric mode is 83 mph and when the EV is being propelled by the combustion engine, the top speed is 146 mph. Of course, the PHEV can take advantage of the instant torque available from the electric propulsion.

The electric SUV is also practical. Given the exterior styling of a more traditional SUV roofline, the EV offers ample headroom and legroom for adults seated in the rear. The front seats also offer generous space. Despite, the addition of a relatively larger EV battery, the EV boot space is still useful (500 L). The interior is completed to a high quality, as would be expected from a premium-badged BMW SUV. The EV is well specified in terms of technology, to include: driving assistant, steering and lane control assistant, active slide collision protection, BMW intelligent personal assistant, BMW Digital Key and a lot more.

Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet! The BMW electric car is not available in India.

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PROS	CONS
Good electric range (54 miles) for a PHEV. Above average EV battery size for PHEV	Onboard charger limited to 3.7 kW. DC charging not available
Efficient engines and reduced tailpipe emissions	Cheaper alternatives available in the market
High quality interiors and good boot space	Exterior styling not as progressive as recent competitor models

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The BMW X5 Plug-In Hybrid (credit: BMW)

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Driving an electric vehicle (EV) is cheaper than driving a petrol or diesel vehicle. As an example, in India, filling a full tank of fuel for the internal combustion engine (ICE) Tata Nexon SUV will cost up to Rs 5,000 (assuming an average cost per litre of Rs 100. The Tata Nexon has a fuel tank capacity of 44 L).

In comparison, the Tata Nexon Pure Electric SUV will cost less than Rs 300 for a full EV battery charge (EV Battery size: 30.2 kWh). In India, the average cost for residential electricity is between Rs 5 to Rs 10 per kWh(unit). Therefore the cost to drive per km (or mile) in a pure electric vehicle is substantially lower than a petrol or diesel vehicle.

At an average one can expect a cost per km of Rs 1 for a zero-emission EV, while for an equivalent petrol or diesel vehicle, the cost per km could be up to Rs 7 per km. The annual cost savings achieved by switching to electric driving is significant!

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At A Glance
EV Type:	Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
Vehicle Type:	SUV
Engine:	Petrol-Electric
Available In India:	No

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Variants (1 Option)
BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sport

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EV Battery & Emissions
EV Battery Type:	Lithium-ion
EV Battery Capacity:	Available in one battery size (22.29 kWh)
Charging:	DC charging not available. On-board charger 3.7 kW AC (0% – 100%: 7.25 hrs)
Charge Port:	Type 2
EV Cable Type:	Type 2
Tailpipe Emissions:	31-27 g (CO2/km)
Warranty:	8 years or 100,000 miles

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Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):	6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):	3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):	0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):	0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

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Dimensions
Height (mm):	1745
Width (mm):	2004
Length (mm):	4922
Wheelbase (mm):	2975
Boot capacity (L):	500

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BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sport
EV Battery Capacity:	22.29 kWh
Pure Electric Range (WLTP):	50 – 54 miles
Electric Energy Consumption (miles/kWh):	2.4 – 2.6
Fuel Consumption (MPG):	201.8 – 235.4
Charging:	DC charging not available. On-board charger 3.7 kW AC (0% – 100%: 7.25 hrs)
Top Speed:	146 mph (electric mode: 83 mph)
0-62 mph:	5.6 seconds
Drive:	All-wheel drive (AWD)
Electric Motor (kW):	83
Max Power (hp):	394
Torque (Nm):	450
Transmission:	Automatic
Seats:	5
Doors:	5
Unladen Weight-EU (kg):	2,510
Colours:	9
NCAP Safety Rating:	Five-Star

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Electric Car Charging: A Snapshot

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Charging an electric vehicle (EV), is really quite as simple as charging your smart mobile phone i.e. plug and play! Both, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are charged in the same manner. Below is a brief guide to charging an electric car:

• Just like a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle is filled with fuel, similarly, an electric car is filled with ‘fuel’, the only difference being that the fuel is electricity and not petrol or diesel. In a petrol or diesel car the fuel is stored in a fuel tank, while in an electric vehicle, the electricity is stored in an EV battery, usually a lithium-ion battery.

• Electric cars can be charged at home or at public charging points. Most EV charging is done at home overnight via a dedicated EV charging station. However, some households still use a 3-PIN domestic plug to charge an EV. We strongly discourage the use of a 3-PIN domestic plug and instead encourage the installation of a high quality home EV charging station, like Webasto or EVBox.

• Pure electric cars take longer to charge than plug-in hybrid electric cars, as pure EVs have a larger EV battery. In most cases a pure electric car will have an EV battery between 30 kWh and 100 kWh, while a plug-in hybrid electric car will usually have an EV battery between 8 kWh and 15 kWh. Charging an EV at home can take between 3 to 15 hours, depending on the size of the EV battery and the type of charge point or 3-PIN plug engaged for charging. Home charging is AC charging, and in most cases up to 7.4 kW, as most homes, to include, India, are singe-phase.

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Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):	6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):	3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):	0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):	0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)

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• Public charging, to include workplace charging, is quite similar to home charging, except, the charging stations are faster and sometimes more expensive to charge per kWh. Public charging stations are both AC and DC charging, however, the AC charging is at a much faster rate (22 kW). DC charging, is the fastest way to charge an EV and depending on the EV battery size, DC charging can fully charge an EV battery in less than 40 minutes. In general, plug-in hybrid cars do not use DC charging i.e. DC charging is mostly used by pure electric cars. DC charging stations can range between 50 kW to 300 kW.

• We always encourage EV owners to carry an EV cable in the car, as not all public charging points are tethered (attached cable). We recommend the use of a 5m EV charging cable, and preferably a high visibility colour. Of course, you can buy high quality EV charging cables and EV charging stations via e-zoomed.

• To learn more about EV charging, simply visit the e-zoomed Electric Living blog.

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While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.

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