Future BMW PHEVs will select electric mode automatically

The next generation of BMW plug-in hybrid models will use a wave of incentives and geo-switching to encourage drivers to actually plug-in their plug-in hybrids.

The German car-maker is combatting the huge number of uncharged plug-ins emitting even more CO2 than their conventional cousins by carrying around bigger batteries and electric motors they rarely use.

BMW will introduce an opt-in geo-locating switch in 2020 that can automatically turn off the petrol motor and turn on the electric-drive system whenever the car moves into low- or zero-emission zones.

It will also introduce a point-scoring system to encourage drivers to use the electric-drive systems as often as possible, rewarding heavy users with bonuses like free fast charging, free parking and discounts on car and ride sharing schemes.

The development of novel ways to encourage people to use the electric capacity of their plug-in hybrids stems from concerns about driver cynicism, with too many people buying them to drive in zero-emission or congestion-charge areas, like London, without ever using the electric motor.

Plug-in hybrids typically add around 200kg to a standard model and often leave the car with compromised luggage capacity.

The problem concerns BMW enough that it ran a pilot program, complete with a unique car-connected app, with 50 drivers signing up in Rotterdam, in The Netherlands, last year.

The Electric City Drive pilot examined ways to make plug-in hybrids more, well, electric. Their cars received a message whenever they entered or left a pre-determined eDrive zone, asking them to move the car into its EV mode.

Drivers could compare their EV scores to other drivers in the three-month pilot which saw them involved in competitions to collect points.

Drivers using the app drove in EV mode for 90 per cent of the defined eDrive zone, which encouraged BMW to develop the beta app for use in its fourth generation of plug-in hybrids.

BMW insists it is ready for potential environmental or green zones and can geo-locate them with over the air updates based on its HERE digital mapping technology and its satellite navigation.

While it seems like an invasion of driver liberties, the car can be switched over to EV mode automatically, making the most out of the car’s zero-emission capability.

“Increasing the distance covered electrically not only helps optimise efficiency, it also reduces operating costs for the customer,” a BMW spokesman said.

“This applies particularly to city traffic, where electric power consistently achieves a higher level of efficiency than a petrol or diesel engine.”

The Points app could encourage that, if the pilot results are a reliable guide.

The scheme adds points for each driver on the kilometres driven electrically and the number of high-voltage charges, with the reward side of the scheme delivering free charging on the Charge Now network plus the Share Now and Park Now schemes.