Indeed the world is changing, because we never thought that we would see a BMW X5 in hybrid form. But it turns out the future of BMW does look green as they have also just launched the i3 and i8 hybrid vehicles, and now the X5 gets it to, although still in concept form.
The BMW eDrive system consists of a four-cylinder combustion engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology and an electric motor which is also the work of the BMW Group. The 95bhp motor sources its energy from a high-voltage lithium-ion battery. It can be charged from any domestic power socket and has sufficient capacity to enable the car to travel up to 30km solely on electric power, generating zero local emissions in the process. The high-voltage battery developed for the BMW Concept X5 eDrive is mounted in a particularly crash-safe position underneath the load area, whose capacity remains virtually unchanged as a result. There is a choice of three driving modes, depending on requirements and situation – the intelligent hybrid drive option for an optimum balance between sportiness and efficiency; pure electric and therefore emission-free driving; or Save Battery mode to maintain the current battery charge.
There are no cosmetic changes that can be seen but there are some impressive performance figures. The BMW Concept X5 eDrive can complete the sprint from rest to 100kmph in under 7.0 seconds.