Despite the proclamations of just how easy it is to access 100kW-plus DC charge stations on the motorway, we picked badly. All were 50kW, not all were working and all were charging at 78p per kW, which meant the journey cost about £90. The same journey in my Honda Civic Type R (a car not known for its frugality) would have cost under £60.
But my old Type R wouldn’t match the BMW’s ride quality in a month of Sundays. While, in truth, this car is far too modified to accommodate battery power to be really called a 5 Series, it certainly rides and handles like one. The way those big wheels traverse bumps and sharp potholes is rather uncanny and the long-wave ride over bigger undulations is an example to pretty much every other battery car maker.
Hiding an extra half tonne from the steering and extreme handling is more difficult. There’s plenty of grip, of course, but the way the big BMW pushes into a turn doesn’t feel particularly like the Munich company’s flagship and the steering – while accurate – feels inert regardless of which driver setting you’ve dialled in.
The Telegraph verdict
So, you sit back in your comfortable armchair and watch the range fall as not enough miles roll under the wheels, preparing for your next encounter with a UK charging network that, at times, feels like meeting a 17th-century highwayman.
Despite BMW’s best efforts and its undoubted qualities of ride, handling and snazzy cabin, slotting a battery and a handful of computers into the 5 Series feels, at times, more like a metaphor for what isn’t right about the headlong rush into battery electric drivetrains and the new digital car, than it does a modern, low-carbon take on a legendary business saloon.
The facts
On test: BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro
Body style: executive battery electric saloon
On sale: Now
How much? From £76,200, as tested £94,375
How fast? Top speed 120mph, 0-62mph in 6sec
Maximum power/torque: 335bhp/295lb
How economical? 3.7m/kWh (WLTP combined), on test 3.0m/kWh
Electric powertrain: 84.4kWh (gross), 81.2kWh net lithium-ion NMC battery; with single synchronous AC electric motor, rear-wheel drive
Electric range: 312-357miles (WLTP combined), 261 miles on test
Charge times: 20-80 per cent charge on a 205kW DC charger 16 minutes, on a 50kW charger the same charge takes 1hr 5mins, and 10-100 per cent on a 7.4kW wall box in 12hrs
CO2 emissions: 0g/km (tailpipe), 30.5g/km (well-to-wheels)
VED: £0
Warranty: 3yrs/unlimited mileage on the car and 8yrs/80,000 miles on the battery.
The rivals
Mercedes-Benz EQE from £67,950
It’s had some bad press in the UK, but how much you’ll like it very much depends on what spec you buy and how much you spend. At its best the EQE is a wafting, gorgeous 4,863mm long hatchback with a lovely cabin available with two- and four-wheel drive.
