Yahoo Autos The New BMW 330e Plug-In Hybrid Promises More Electric Driving Range
The new range of BMW 3-series models will again include a 330e plug-in hybrid, and we now have some details on the latest electrified version of this sports sedan. With a new powertrain that incorporates a larger battery pack and a more powerful electric motor, the G20-generation 330e looks to measurably improve on its predecessor. It will follow the four-cylinder 330i and six-cylinder M340i models to market, arriving in the United States in 2020.
A lithium-ion battery pack that grows from 7.6 kWh to 12.0 kWh is perhaps the biggest upgrade. It should mean that the new 330e will go a lot farther on a charge than the current car, which is rated at just 14 miles of electric range according to the EPA (the new 330e is rated to go 37 miles on the European cycle, but U.S. testing is conducted differently). The overall setup of the drivetrain is similar, though, with a 184-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine pairing with a 109-hp electric motor for a total power output of 252 horsepower; an eight-speed automatic transmission performs shifting duties. BMW is also touting a new XtraBoost feature that uses the electric motor to temporarily add another 41 hp.
As before, the 330e's charging port is the only real clue to its electrified nature. Apart from that and hybrid-specific badging, it looks identical to other new 3-series models on the outside. Trunk capacity is slightly smaller because of the battery, but the interior is likely to be mostly unchanged, too, other than a few different buttons for the hybrid's drive modes.
We Americans won't be seeing the 330e on sale for a while, as it will be one of the later new 3-series variants to arrive when it goes on sale in 2020. Stay tuned for BMW to release more specific information for our market next year, such as pricing and official EPA data.
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