It's perhaps safe to assume that the next-generation BMW 5 Series will have some kind of fully electric variant somewhere. They already sell the 550e plug-in hybrid, so surely taking the next step and offering a full EV is logical.
But, the manufacturer is currently wading through difficult times with all this electric car stuff. It just lost its last CEO because of the purported lack of market success of BMW's i-line of EVs, and its big overarching goal of having 25 new electrified cars by 2025 has been shifted forwards two years to 2023.
Along with that 2023 promise, BMW has also said that it'll release five fully electric EVs by 2021 (and 12 by 2023). Of that five, one will be the electric Mini unveiled earlier this month, a new i3 and ix3 crossover, the iNext, and the i4 — a sleek Tesla Model S rival.
According to BMW Blog, a fully electric 5 Series is a certainty in that framework. The BMW specialist site, which was the source for last month's leaked BMW 8 Gran Coupe images, has stated that a new 5 Series is coming in 2023.
And, along with a brand new design language (look to the iNext for a possible glimpse at that), they say that sources from the company have confirmed that there will be two fully electric drivetrains in the line-up.
A big part of this rough transitional phase for BMW is the introduction of the marque's fifth generation of eDrive. This will bring with it higher potential range of between 550km and 700km, and a reported simplification of components.
"A crucial advantage of this fifth-generation system is that the electric motor, transmission and power electronics now form a single, highly integrated electric drive component," said BMW Vice President of electric powertrain development, Stefan Juraschek, last December.
"This extremely compact unit takes up far less space than the three separate components used in preceding generations. Its modular construction means that it is scalable, too, allowing it to be modified to suit all sorts of different installation spaces and power requirements.
"The modular 'building block' concept will allow the new batteries to be incorporated flexibly into every vehicle architecture. Another highly integrated component will be added to the portfolio in the form of a DC/DC charger unit."