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Another data point in the conversion of our transportation fleet from Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles to Electric Vehicles (EVs):
Electric vehicles are making up an ever-increasing percentage of BMW's sales, both here in the US and worldwide, according to a statement released by the company on Friday. In April in the US, the BMW i3, i8, and X5 xDrive 40e accounted for just under 15 percent of all BMW passenger vehicle sales—a combined 2,572 cars out of a total of 17,786 cars sold last month.
More than half of BMW's EVs have been sold here in the US, which, along with Scandinavia and the UK, is the company's best market for hybrids and EVs. BMW's electrification strategy is a two-fold affair. There's the i sub-brand, which currently features the i3 city car and i8 sports car (two of our favorites here at Ars), and it's believed that a third i model is in the works, a crossover called the i6.
The company is also building hybrid versions of some of its regular vehicles, including the 330e, X5 xDrive40e, and now a 740e as well.
In recent news BMW also announced a joint fast-charger network with Nissan.
(Score: 3, Informative) by bitstream on Wednesday May 18 2016, @01:42AM
Now it all hangs on the battery performance.
I suspect these technology approaches currently have the best hope:
* Substantial improvement of existing principles using nanotechnology by increasing surface area.
* Quantum mechanics to make existing battery technology interact internally in otherwise impossible ways. This science area seems to start producing practical science right now. But it still only a trickle.
* Capacitor because of charging time and perhaps weight.
* Flow battery because they can be reloaded quickly and there already exist technology.