BMW Reveals Its 2-Series Active Tourer Plug-In Hybrid Prototype

BMW adds one more to the company’s line-up of eDrive efforts, using technology that it first developed for the BMW i cars. This time, it’s the 2-Series Active Tourer plug-in hybrid concept, and it offers a little glimpse of what a future production model could be like. 

For the first time, we find an electric drive permutation that links a front/transverse-mounted combustion engine. There’s a 1.5-litre three-cylinder BMW TwinPower Turbo petrol unit with 134hp and 220Nm of torque delivers drive to the front wheels.

A ‘high-voltage’ generator that’s also front-mounted and an electric motor with 86hp and 165Nm of torque sends power to the rear wheels. The generator itself can deliver an additional 20hp and 150Nm of torque for shorts bursts. Altogether, it enables the prototype to reach 100km/h from a standstill in just 6.5 seconds.

Similar to the BMW i8 sports car, the result here also yields a road-linked all-wheel drive system. Being a plug-in hybrid, this 2-Series prototype can run for up to 38km on stored electric power alone and achieve an average fuel economy of two litres per 100 kilometres with CO2 emissions under 50g per kilometre.