BMW
has jumped on the electrified bandwagon years ago and has several zero-emission
models in the pipeline. One of them is based on the latest 3 Series G20, which
will become the first 3 Series production model ever to offer an EV powertrain.
An all-electric prototype of the current G20 generation was seen in public at
the beginning of the year, and now Carscoops photographers spotted another test car.
The mandatory ‘Electric Test Vehicle’
stickers are the ones that give it away. As with the previous sighting, the
front and rear ends of the vehicle sport a cleaner look. The front grille is
likely enclosed, as there is no need to feed air into the engine bay, and the
rear bumper does not have any cutouts for the exhaust system, because there
isn’t one to begin with.
Everything
else stays true to the regular 3 Series, including the headlamps, taillights
and likely the cockpit design – even though we have yet to peek inside. The
prototype appears based on the long-wheelbase variant of the car, which is
exclusive to China. The extra inches added between the two axles have probably
allowed engineers to fit a generous battery pack, although the technical bits
remain unknown.
Could the fact that it’s a LWB model mean that it will be
strictly limited to the People’s Republic. Perhaps,
but there is no way of knowing yet, as BMW still hasn’t confirmed the model.
They did announce that their portfolio will include 25 electrified cars by 2023
though, and the electric 3-Series will be one of them.
