Germany’s BMW is preparing to mass produce electric vehicles by 2020 and will to have 12 different models by 2025, it stated on Thursday, as conventional makers race to overtake U.S. electric car leader Tesla.
Vehicle buyers avoided electric vehicles due to their high expense and restricted operating range until Tesla revealed the Model S in 2012, an automobile that split the 200 mile (322 km) range barrier on one charge.
Since then, huge advances in battery technology and an international crackdown on pollution in the wake of Volkswagen‘s diesel scandal have raised pressure on automakers to accelerate development of zero-emission alternatives.
BMW, which introduced the i3 EV in 2013, said it was now preparing its factories to standardize electric cars by 2020 if demand for battery driven cars takes off.
“By 2025, we will provide 25 electrified vehicles– 12 will be fully-electric,” CEO Harald Krueger informed reporters in Munich, adding the electric vehicles would have a range of approximately 700 km (435 miles).
It marks a substantial foray by a significant manufacturer into electrification. BMW, which includes the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands and sold 2.34 million cars in 2016, announced the procedure on the day smaller sized competing Jaguar stated it would provide electrical or hybrid variations of all its models by 2020.
On Wednesday, Nissan revealed a new variation of its Leaf electric car in its recent move to compete Tesla.
