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BMW will offer fully electric versions of the 5 Series, 7 Series and X1

It aims to have 25 electrified models by 2023 with half being pure EVs.

Steve Dent/Engadget

BMW has a mixed electric history, as it pioneered the sector with pure EV models like the i3 and i8, then decided to focus on plug-in hybrids instead. Now, in a major revamp of its lineup, the automaker has announced that it will offer fully electric versions of its mainstream 5 Series, 7 Series and X1 vehicles. “In ten years, the goal is to have a total of more than seven million electrified BMW Group vehicles on the roads — around two thirds of them with a fully-electric drivetrain,” the company wrote in a press release (via Autoblog).

All vehicles in those classes will be offered with full electric, plug-in hybrid and gas-only (plus diesel in Europe) with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. BMW plans to have 25 electrified models by 2023 with half being fully electric. “The objective is to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles by 40 percent per kilometer driven,” BMW said, in line with EU rules requiring 37.5 percent lower emissions by 2030.

BMW said it’s taking other measures to reduce emissions, like choosing suppliers based on their carbon footprint, automatically switching plug-in hybrids to all-electric mode in cities and tying executive bonuses to emission reductions.

By next year, BMW will offer five pure EVs, including the BMW i3, Mini Cooper SE, BMW iX3, MBW iNext and the BMW i4. CEO Oliver Zipse said the electric 7 series will arrive with the next generation 7 Series, but he didn’t give hard dates for 5 Series or X1 EVs.