New Battery Gives 2020 BMW 225xe Active Tourer 25 Percent Longer EV Range

BMW has fitted the 225xe Active Tourer plug-in hybrid with its latest-generation battery cell technology which improves the minivan’s efficiency and EV driving range.

The lithium-ion battery in the new BMW 225xe Active Tourer now has a gross energy content of 10.0 kWh, up from 7.7 kWh before. It can be fully charged in around five hours at conventional household sockets using the standard-equipment charging cable or in 3:15 hours using the optional BMW i Wallbox.

Equipped with the new battery the 225xe Active Tourer can cover between 55 and 57 kilometers (34 – 35 miles) in all-electric mode, which is an increase of 25 percent over the previous version.

The plug-in hybrid model is now also 15 percent more efficient as the average fuel consumption drops to 1.9 – 1.7 liters per 100 km (148.7 – 166.1 mpg UK) in conjunction with a reduction in combined power consumption of 20.1 – 18.5 kWh per 100 kilometers (WLTP). Additionally, CO2 figures are also down to 47 – 42 g/km.

Also read: BMW 2-Series Active Tourer And Gran Tourer Could Be Dropped

As before, the BMW 225xe Active Tourer’s plug-in hybrid system uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 136 PS (134 hp / 100 kW) that drives the front wheels via a six-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. The internal combustion engine is assisted by an 88 PS (87 hp / 65 kW) electric motor driving the rear axle, giving the 225xe Active Tourer a system output of 224 PS (221 hp / 165 kW) and AWD capability.

This enables the plug-in hybrid model to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 202 km/h (125 mph). In purely electric driving mode, the 225xe Active Tourer can reach speeds of up to 131 km/h (81 mph).

The plug-in hybrid model is available as an Advantage model, Sport Line model, Luxury Line model, and M Sport model, with all the optional extras available for the facelifted BMW 2 Series Active Tourer lineup.