iX

Make
BMW
Segment
SUV

Currently, around eight percent of vehicles BMW builds are electrically powered. That's already a lot compared with competitors, but BMW has committed itself to produce even more electric cars. According to an interview with BMW's Chief Executive, Oliver Zipse, in the German daily newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine, the automaker aims to make that number around 20 percent by 2023.

That would mean around every fifth car BMW builds in just a couple of years would run on battery stored power and electric motors. Considering the current percentage of cars sold worldwide is around three percent of total sales, and that's up just 0.4 percent over 2019, one in five for a single automaker is an ambitious total.

"We are significantly increasing the number of electric vehicles. Between 2021 and 2023, we will build a quarter of a million more electric cars than originally planned", Zipse told the German newspaper. He also acknowledged the reality of the infrastructure needed to support so many new electric cars going onto the roads, explaining that "15,000 private and about 1,300 public charging points would have to be put into operation every week as of today. Unfortunately, we are a long way from that."

He goes on to say, "my biggest concern is, in fact, that our electric car offensive is being slowed down by the inadequate expansion of the charging infrastructure."

By 2023, BMW plans on having 25 electrified models on the road, half of them fully electric including the 5 Series, 7 Series, X1, upcoming i4 sedan, and the recently-revealed 2022 BMW iX.

Zipse also confirmed that the i3 is still part of BMW's long term business model, at least in Europe, where it has been selling better than in the US.

The automaker plans to sell the i3 as long as customers want it. BMW also points out that the i3 is one of the electric cars available that requires the least amount of electricity per 100 kilometers (62.13 miles) to drive.