Introducing the BMW X5 xDrive40e Plug-In Hybrid (updated w/ US specific details)

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by stealth-twntrbo

Yes it does seem that would be the case but the EPA still has to put it in the list to qualify for the tax credit and right now BMW NA on the corporate side says they have not had a response from the EPA so currently there is no tax credit on the 40e according to my BMW NA Regional Director.

this is a one time credit based on the year purchased correct? So if you bought this year and the vehicle is eligible next year, you missed out?

[stealth-twntrbo]

I'm unsure this is a question for IRS or EPA,

If you lease and there is no credit you would not be eligible for it later.

If you do a retail purchase in that year I think the credit would have to be available during the year you purchased it.

[cirruspete]

Picked up my 40e on Saturday from my local dealer here in the USA. Still sorting out the best way/modes to maximize the efficiency. I am a little annoyed that the included EVSE ("charger") is only a 10 amp model. Not sure why it isn't 12amp or 15amp. The manual suggests that they have 12 and 15 amp versions for other markets. 10amps puts the charge time at around 7.5 hours or so for the 120v plug and the 9Kwh battery. My garage plugs are 20 amp breakers, so I figure I could probably handle 15 amps which would have cut the charge time down to 5 hours or so. For charging during the day between repeated local driving, having a quicker charge without having to invest in a level 2 charger for such a small battery would be nice...

[tastelid]

7.5 hours for 13 miles of range?! Brutal.

Although to be honest, that range would pretty much cover the regular driving I do most days. Wish my F85 had electro mode

[j330xi]

Model Year
Vehicle Description
Credit Amount

2014, 2015, 2016
BMW i3 Sedan with Ranger Extender
$7,500
2014, 2015, 2016
BMW i3 Sedan
$7,500
2014, 2015, 2016
BMW i8
$3,793

2016 X5 40e
$4,668


IRS LINK

[Line Drive]

So I've been to that IRS link and the one that proceeds it. I haven't seen anything yet distinguishing between leasing and purchasing. The instructions for Form 8936, which is used to claim the credit, says only that the credit applies to vehicles "placed in service" during the specific tax year.

Has anyone see specific info that leases are excluded?

[MichiganMike]

Originally Posted by Line Drive

Has anyone see specific info that leases are excluded?

I had the same question. This is the answer I found:

"Can I claim the New Plug-in Tax Credit if I lease a qualified vehicle?

The Plug-in Tax Credit can only be claimed by purchasers of a new qualified vehicle who use the vehicle primarily in the U.S. If you lease a car at a dealership the leasing company can claim the credit since it is considered to be the purchaser of the vehicle."

http://insideevs.com/top-15-faqs-inc...plug-vehicles/

"If you lease, you probably can't claim it. In what's perhaps the most common misconception for those just starting out cross-shopping EVs. Almost always—but not in every instance—the amount of the credit is claimed by the leasing company (who legally 'owns' the new vehicle), allowing a more attractive lease payment."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/cars/f...abb_story.html

The Washington Post article suggests there may be some limited exception to the leasing company claiming the credit, but I do not know when this may apply.

[Line Drive]

Lovely. Assumed it was too good to be true.

[BGeorge]

So I ordered the X5 diesel over a month ago and have determined that there is some sort of delay in production of the vehicle despite not being able to get any straight answers from BMW or the dealer I placed the order with. Unfortunately I couldn't wait an undisclosed amount of time for delivery due to an upcoming move, so I reluctantly purchased a 40e as the XC90 hybrid was not available. I'm now also locked in a fight with the dealer trying to recoup the deposit I Put down to order the diesel model. I have had the 40e for a few days now and I'm completely disappointed so far. The battery sucks and I've been averaging about 25 mpg on very conservative driving. I'm seriously considering trading this vehicle in as soon as the XC90 hybrid is available. Based on this experience I am so done with BMW. If VW didn't ruin the Cayenne I would consider that as well!

[Turbodog72]

Originally Posted by BGeorge

So I ordered the X5 diesel over a month ago and have determined that there is some sort of delay in production of the vehicle despite not being able to get any straight answers from BMW or the dealer I placed the order with. Unfortunately I couldn't wait an undisclosed amount of time for delivery due to an upcoming move, so I reluctantly purchased a 40e as the XC90 hybrid was not available. I'm now also locked in a fight with the dealer trying to recoup the deposit I Put down to order the diesel model. I have had the 40e for a few days now and I'm completely disappointed so far. The battery sucks and I've been averaging about 25 mpg on very conservative driving. I'm seriously considering trading this vehicle in as soon as the XC90 hybrid is available. Based on this experience I am so done with BMW. If VW didn't ruin the Cayenne I would consider that as well!

I have the 40e and I think you are doing it wrong? Are you running in Sport Mode to charge the battery often? If you don't run in sport and just use comfort, then you should be getting 27 mpg. My first tank was 600 miles with a good amount of short in town drives in Max E mode. The second tank went to 500 miles with less short Max E drives. I came from a Cayenne Turbo 2008 that got 200 miles per tank, so I am happy and satisfied customer.

[shivaswrath]

Originally Posted by Turbodog72

I have the 40e and I think you are doing it wrong? Are you running in Sport Mode to charge the battery often? If you don't run in sport and just use comfort, then you should be getting 27 mpg. My first tank was 600 miles with a good amount of short in town drives in Max E mode. The second tank went to 500 miles with less short Max E drives. I came from a Cayenne Turbo 2008 that got 200 miles per tank, so I am happy and satisfied customer.

Amazing numbers for sure!
Wish they made the battery bigger...13 miles would barely get me to work.

[adimfx]

I had the BMW xDrive40e for a spin in Europe and I was impressed by the refinement and smoothness of the technology. Very nice to drive in any mode!

Here is a video with a 0-200 km/h acceleration. Enjoy!

[BGeorge]

Originally Posted by shivaswrath

Amazing numbers for sure!
Wish they made the battery bigger...13 miles would barely get me to work.

Me and my wife researched diesel SUVs for about six months and decided on the X5d after the Porsche Cayenne got wrapped up in the VW scandal. We really felt that the X5d was the perfect vehicle for us with the versitility of a 3rd row option, decent fuel efficiency and towing capability, so it was very reluctantly that I decided to go with the 40e and the trade offs that come with it. One of the major factors I took into considerstion when getting the 40e was the claimed EPA 56 mpge. Someone has to show me how they came up with that figure! We've tried driving in all the different modes in city and highway conditions to figure what would be the best formula for getting a decent mpg and we have been able to acheive 25 mpg best so far. It is virtually impossible to charge the battery via driving alone and the vehicle doesn't seem to do a very good job of balacing betweenn gas and electric motors. It seems that if there is any charge in the battery it will run on electric until the batteries are completely drained then switch to the gas engine, which gets horrible mpgs for a 4 cylinder. I'm hoping this is just a factor of the vehicle being new and that it will improve with time. I am still pissed at BMW for not imforming customers that the diesel model is delayed and the specifics as to why it is delayed. It all seems very shady to me.

[athanyel]

Originally Posted by BGeorge

Me and my wife researched diesel SUVs for about six months and decided on the X5d after the Porsche Cayenne got wrapped up in the VW scandal. We really felt that the X5d was the perfect vehicle for us with the versitility of a 3rd row option, decent fuel efficiency and towing capability, so it was very reluctantly that I decided to go with the 40e and the trade offs that come with it. One of the major factors I took into considerstion when getting the 40e was the claimed EPA 56 mpge. Someone has to show me how they came up with that figure! We've tried driving in all the different modes in city and highway conditions to figure what would be the best formula for getting a decent mpg and we have been able to acheive 25 mpg best so far. It is virtually impossible to charge the battery via driving alone and the vehicle doesn't seem to do a very good job of balacing betweenn gas and electric motors. It seems that if there is any charge in the battery it will run on electric until the batteries are completely drained then switch to the gas engine, which gets horrible mpgs for a 4 cylinder. I'm hoping this is just a factor of the vehicle being new and that it will improve with time. I am still pissed at BMW for not imforming customers that the diesel model is delayed and the specifics as to why it is delayed. It all seems very shady to me.

I took the 40e out for an extended test drive last weekend and the regeneration was one of the big items I focused on.

Since I don't have a charger at home yet, I was having to rely upon the vehicle to charge itself or finding a chargepoint station when I was out. After digging through the forums and the manual, I opted to set the DDC to Sport and the eDrive button to Save. From driving alone, I was able to recharge the battery from 32% at home to 59% after driving across Austin in weekend traffic. Gas mileage was definitely affected though. I averaged 21 MPG for that recharge.

For me, the allure right now is that I have a really short commute and can charge it at work (eventually at home too!). For most folks though, definitely ask the dealer for an extended test drive. It's worth it to figure out if the eDrive will work for you...or if you should just get the diesel.

Has anyone done performance delivery of a 40e or know if the fleet at Spartanburg includes a 40e?

[shivaswrath]

Jesus no one is getting the claimed 55empg? Is 55empg=55mpg?

[Line Drive]

I'm getting solid mileage on my commute, which is about 20 miles each way. I also have access to a Level 2 charger at my office garage.

(Note that weekend driving, when I'm making multiple short trips, is a totally different issue. The battery just doesn't charge fast enough to be viable for typical weekend driving with multiple short trips. I just ignore the battery and use it as a regular X5 on the weekends.)

[athanyel]

Originally Posted by Line Drive

I'm getting solid mileage on my commute, which is about 20 miles each way. I also have access to a Level 2 charger at my office garage.

(Note that weekend driving, when I'm making multiple short trips, is a totally different issue. The battery just doesn't charge fast enough to be viable for typical weekend driving with multiple short trips. I just ignore the battery and use it as a regular X5 on the weekends.)

That's pretty much my commute as well. Glad to here someone's seeing solid MPG numbers on the eDrive. Thanks!

[DeltaFX1942]

Originally Posted by BGeorge

So I ordered the X5 diesel over a month ago and have determined that there is some sort of delay in production of the vehicle despite not being able to get any straight answers from BMW or the dealer I placed the order with. Unfortunately I couldn't wait an undisclosed amount of time for delivery due to an upcoming move, so I reluctantly purchased a 40e as the XC90 hybrid was not available. I'm now also locked in a fight with the dealer trying to recoup the deposit I Put down to order the diesel model. I have had the 40e for a few days now and I'm completely disappointed so far. The battery sucks and I've been averaging about 25 mpg on very conservative driving. I'm seriously considering trading this vehicle in as soon as the XC90 hybrid is available. Based on this experience I am so done with BMW. If VW didn't ruin the Cayenne I would consider that as well!

Just curious, is this with Valley BMW? or one of the other ones in NC, like Performance BMW/ Leith BMW?

[mattsnow]

I am curious as to what mileage people get in purely hybrid mode (ie. what is your mileage with no plug in charging). Other OEMs produce hybrid models that get much better mileage than their non-hybrid counterparts by capturing energy through regenerative braking. I would like to think of this BMW as a hybrid (that recovers energy through regenerative braking) with a plug in capability that allows me to boost "gas mileage" even more by adding energy from a wall socket to what otherwise would be a purely hybrid vehicle. Is that what i have in a 40e?

[MichiganMike]

Originally Posted by BGeorge

It is virtually impossible to charge the battery via driving alone and the vehicle doesn't seem to do a very good job of balacing betweenn gas and electric motors. It seems that if there is any charge in the battery it will run on electric until the batteries are completely drained then switch to the gas engine, which gets horrible mpgs for a 4 cylinder.

The article at the link below may be of interest.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/12/23/2...-review-video/

"But achieving top fuel economy in the 40e isn't as simple as going easy on the throttle. Perhaps more than any vehicle we've tested recently, understanding how all the X5's systems work together is crucial to eking out the most mpgs."

"Using Comfort/Save, a 25-mile freeway drive regenerates enough juice to cover about half a dozen miles in pure EV mode. On surface streets, we kick into Auto eDrive and Eco Pro, where the computer's invisible management of the gas-electric powertrain smoothly switches between the two systems as needed. Even with the battery basically empty, we stick to Auto eDrive, because the 2.0-liter turbo still gets a little bit of electric assistance off the line. Honestly, with no battery power, there's no benefit to limiting electrical draw with Eco Pro and the softer throttle response isn't worth the low regen. If traffic is light and we are maintaining a steady speed, we use Comfort to begin filling the battery again. Heavier traffic and regular stoplights demand the more aggressive recharging from Sport."

"By blending this high-velocity charging and low-speed EV mode/recharging, we see an average of 26 mpg, two mpg above the X5's combined EPA rating. This isn't to say we didn't just plug in and recharge the battery the old-fashioned way. Taking advantage of every chance to recharge netted us 36 mpg during the first half of our week-long test."

[HansRobert]

Originally Posted by cirruspete

Picked up my 40e on Saturday from my local dealer here in the USA. Still sorting out the best way/modes to maximize the efficiency. I am a little annoyed that the included EVSE ("charger") is only a 10 amp model. Not sure why it isn't 12amp or 15amp. The manual suggests that they have 12 and 15 amp versions for other markets. 10amps puts the charge time at around 7.5 hours or so for the 120v plug and the 9Kwh battery. My garage plugs are 20 amp breakers, so I figure I could probably handle 15 amps which would have cut the charge time down to 5 hours or so. For charging during the day between repeated local driving, having a quicker charge without having to invest in a level 2 charger for such a small battery would be nice...

Does anyone know if a charger larger than 10 amps is available without installing a level 2 charger?

[fsdks]

Originally Posted by HansRobert

Does anyone know if a charger larger than 10 amps is available without installing a level 2 charger?

No. It has to do with the max load that particular set of wiring can handle. That the breaker panel is a 20amp circuit for that particular outlet doesn't matter. The wiring from panel to outlet is not designed for the higher amperage.

watts (aka power) = volts x amps

So going from 120v to 240v doubles the power at the same amperage. That's why, in continental Europe where it's 240v, on a 10amp outlet an electric vehicle will charge faster than in the US.

A rough guide is you can only take 80% continuous amperage of a circuit breaker's rating. For example, a 20 amp circuit can only charge using 16 amps. Your X5's computer will tell the charger the correct amperage to pull from a specific type of receptacle. That's why in the iDrive charging settings you can tell the X5 if you're using L1 or L2.

A few rough numbers:
120v, 12 amp yields :3 miles per hour of charge
120v, 16 amp yields :4 miles per hour of charge
240v, 40 amp yields :31 miles per hour of charge