Do you really need more than a plug-in hybrid these days, given that some of the newest PHEVs are capable of hitting electric ranges of 60 miles (96 km/h)?
For many drivers, plug-in hybrids offer the best of both worlds, offering plenty of zero-emissions miles for a daily commute as well as the generous range necessary for long trips thanks to the internal combustion engine.
Harry Metcalfe advocates that a plug-in hybrid is the perfect sort of car for his family’s needs, and the car that “converted” him from an EV like the Jaguar I-Pace to a PHEV is the brand new BMW X5 xDrive45e.
See Also: Are 102 Images Enough To Make You Want The BMW X5 xDrive45e?
The SUV combines a 286 PS (282 hp) 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six gasoline engine with an 83 kW (113 PS / 111 hp) electric motor of the latest BMW eDrive generation and a 24-kWh lithium-ion battery. The result is a system output of 290 kW (394 PS / 388 hp) and a maximum torque of 600 Nm (443 lb-ft). More importantly, the X5 xDrive45e is capable of an all-electric driving range of up to 87 km (54 miles).
You can easily drive on battery power alone on motorways too, as the top speed in EV mode is 135 km/h (84 mph). Before we leave you with Harry Metcalfe’s video and his arguments for driving a PHEV instead of an EV, you should know that more than half of the total miles his family did in the X5 xDrive45e were in all-electric mode.
What if you’re a die-hard EV fan, then? Well, Metcalfe says Tesla is the only way to go as the U.S. EV maker is in a league of its own when it comes to driving range and the Supercharger infrastructure.