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BMW will make plug-in hybrid versions of all models

Late last year, BMW made it clear that it would be making plug-in hybrid versions of all of its "core models." The first of those will be the X5 xDrive40e. At the New York Auto Show this week, BMW North America CEO Ludwig Willisch told AutoblogGreen that this enhanced PHEV plan is going to be applied to "every new model." We were asking Willisch if he views Tesla as a competitor to the Bavarian automaker. "I wouldn't say I don't see any competition," Willisch said, "but I still see that a BMW 5 Series and a Tesla are totally different animals." What about the rumored i5 or an i7, we started to ask – "which we don't have" Willisch interrupted – that could happen, couldn't it? "Not any time soon," Willisch said. "What we will have are plug-in hybrids. With the introduction of every new model there will be a plug-in hybrid version of that, too." There are people who are asking if the i brand will expand to a truck or a larger sedan, "but this is all the future," Willisch said. "It's not now and it's not the next couple years." Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW i sales hit 50k, SsangYong SIV-2 concept

BMW sold its 50,000th i car in January. The i3, which launched in September 2013, made up roughly 83 percent of those sales. The considerably more expensive i8, which launched in June of 2014, understandably made up fewer sales. The i3 is currently sold in 49 countries, while most of the i8's sales came from the US, UK, Germany, and Norway. Through December, cumulative i3 sales reached 17,116 in the US, 5,063 in Germany, 4,494 in Norway, 3,747 in the UK and 1,348 in Switzerland. i8 sales were 2,820 in the US, 964 in the UK and 793 in Germany. BMW sold 29,513 i-Series cars in 2015, and 1,255 in January of 2016. Read more at Hybrid Cars. SsangYong will debut its SIV-2 concept at the Geneva Motor Show. The SIV-2 – which stands for Smart Interface Vehicle – uses a 48-volt mild hybrid system with a turbocharged, 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine, 500-Wh battery pack and 10-kW electric motor. The Korean automaker says the modular SIV-2 platform can also accommodate plug-in hybrid and battery electric versions. Alongside the SIV-2, SsangYong will introduce a new Tivoli XLV crossover, based on the XLV Air concept, which is expected to offer competitive fuel economy. Read more at Green Car Reports. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is receiving a $1 million contract from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) to make recycled plug-in hybrid batteries. The 50-percent cost-share contract will help Worcester Polytechnic scale up its recycling process to make batteries using recycled cathode material. The process, which USABC calls "novel and efficient," will make the batteries less costly than ones made with all-new material, "thereby offering a value-driven path towards improved sustainability." United States Council for Automotive Research executive director Steve Zimmer says, "These programs are critical to advancing the technology needed to meet both near- and long-term goals that will enable broader scale vehicle electrification." Read more in the press release below. USABC AWARDS $1 MILLION TO WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC TO DEVELOP PROCESS FOR RECYCLED PHEV BATTERY CELLS SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb.

BMW just the latest automaker to realize China will want a lot of EVs

News about China and cars isn't in short supply these days. With several of the world's largest cities, millions of cars on the road and huge problems with air pollution, it's no wonder that the nation is trying to make some changes. Along with decommissioning many of its aging vehicles, China is also expected to see huge growth in its electric vehicle market. BMW, as other automakers already have done, sees this as an opportunity to sell more cars. "We expect that the Chinese car market for electromobility will become the largest markets for those cars in a few years," says Karsten Engel, BMW's China head. BMW is collaborating with Shanghai's State Grid municipal power company to put public EV charging points at the former World Expo site, and the city plans to create 45 more by the end of the year. These will charge many different vehicles made by BMW and other brands. Tesla, which began delivering its Model S to China last month, plans to build its own supercharger network for the country. BMW plans to begin selling the battery-powered i3 and i8 plug-in hybrid in China this fall. BMW hopes to sell more than 400,000 vehicles in China this year. Fewer than 1,000 of those will be the i3, though, says Engel, due to a lack of supply. So far, China is falling drastically behind its own targets to get EVs on the road. With a goal of 500,000 by 2015, fewer than 70,000 EVs are currently operating in China. This numbers gap doesn't necessarily mean that the demand is or isn't there yet, but more and more automakers are betting it will be, and soon. Volkswagen is planning a fleet of electrified models for China by 2018 (at least 15 models according to Bloomberg). Daimler is teaming up with China's BYD to build EVs (and, of course, Your Dreams). Other Chinese companies are getting into the game as well. Featured Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos Related Gallery 2015 BMW i8: First Drive View 62 Photos News Source: Bloomberg via Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green BMW Tesla Electric Shanghai charging station pollution exports