Even though the Netherlands still seems hooked on electric cars, we still see a surge of plug-in hybrids storming the markets.
And it's not only in the Netherlands really, it's happening all across Europe. Big cars, small crossovers, C-segment hatchbacks,
all of them are becoming plug-in compatible. And why is that? Well, incoming European regulation states that car manufacturers...
have to comply with an average amount of emitted CO2 across their whole range of cars. So they have to reduce their CO2-footprint fast...
if they don't want billions of dollars in fines. That's why lots of manufacturers are plugging their cars, because it reduces the emissions.
Also, if they get released this year, the reduced amount of CO2 will count as double. That's why certain brands have waited with releasing cars in 2019.
That wasn't exactly the case for BMW, because this 530e isn't new. It had an electric motor instead of a torque converter.
That means it was fully woven into the drivetrain. However, earlier this year they've increased the battery capacity.
It went from 9 kWh to 12 kWh, which is quite the step. Percentually that is. However, it does get you further on a single electric charge.
Also, it's available as an xDrive now, so that makes it a competitor to the Volvo S90 T8, which has four-wheel drive as well.
There's a difference however, because the electric motor in the Volvo S90 drives the rear wheels, whilst the petrol engine drives the front wheels.
In the BMW, the electric motor is in front of the gearbox, so it drives all of the wheels.
That raises the question, is this a good alternative for the BMW 530i?
Like I just mentioned, the battery capacity was increased to 12 kWh, but what does that mean? Well, it's supposed to be able to do 57 km...
on a single charge according to WLTP. Of course, we won't reach that number. Your range will depend on the speed you'll be going,
or the weather. And because it's cold today, I think this'll get around 35 kilometres on a single charge.
Surely, when you take it easy in the summer, you'll be able to do 40 to 45 kilometres on a single charge.
And for a lot of people, that's enough for their daily commute. Also, if you're able to charge your car at your job,
you can drive almost everything fully electric. Only using the engine for long distances, and that's utilizing the plug-in function to its fullest.
A difference with a regular xDrive-BMW, is that this has an eDRIVE-button. It's placed below Eco Pro, Sport and Comfort.
With that, you're able to set the amount of eDRIVE you want. You can set it to automatic hybrid, which makes the car drive electrically...
up to 90 km/h. If you add your destination to the satnav as well, it will calculate the most important bits to use the electricity.
However, if most of your journey is on the motorway, it won't go into electric mode. Even if you set it to, you'll surpass the 90 km/h-limit.
If you put it in full eDRIVE, it can drive electrically up to 140 km/h. When you want to fully utilize the battery,
you'll have to set it manually. Handy if you know that you're able to charge the car at work.
You also have a Battery Save-mode, with which you can set the lowest amount of battery charge the car is allowed to have.
If it's full already, it'll remain at that percentage, but if you want to charge it up, the engine will do so when you're driving.
And it's not like an Outlander PHEV in which the engine starts buzzing to charge the batteries. Instead, it'll use the brake energy.
Usually, that charges the batteries and you immediately use that. In here, it saves up that energy. So sometimes, you'll notice that...
your electric range has been increased. That's handy if you want to drive electrically at your place of destination.
Surely, charging the batteries with petrol isn't the most efficient way available, because charging at home is.
It's done with single phase-charging, up to 3,7 kW. For a battery pack of 12 kWh, that's more than enough.
A fun gimmick which BMW offers as only manufacturer, is induction charging. It costs an additional €3.000 for adjusting the car and getting a...
charge mat installed at home. But when you park over the magnetic charge mat, it'll make contact and you'll charge your car wirelessly.
Just like a toothbrush, or your electric shaver. That's much easier because you never have to think about plugging it in,
and if it's bad weather, you never have to worry about dirty hands because of dirty cables.
Also, this might not be a solution for a fully electric car, because it will never be enough to rival the three-phase charging a fully electric...
car needs, but this plug-in hybrid only has 12 kWh, so you can easily charge that overnight with an induction charger.
Then, how realistic is this car compared to a 530i. Well, because of the taxes, they're pretty much the same price.
They're only a few thousand Euro's apart, so add or deduct a few options and you're there.
The drive then. If I drive both 530's individually from each other, I won't really notice anything different.
I know the regular 5-series very well, and this is 265 kg heavier. And you can feel that, but because this isn't a sporty saloon or anything,
it's not annoying at all. It's just an comfortable, executive car which feels dynamic as well.
BMW knows how to process the extra weight with its great chassis. And even though I personally know the 530i feels more nimble,
I wouldn't find this extra weight annoying if it tried. Even if I didn't know the weight difference.
Having said that, both cars will cost as much. You even pay less taxes, you have an A-label if that's important for your job,
and you're ready for the future. Because let's face it, electricity will be future in some form.