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The first plug-in hybrid vehicle -- which includes electric and petrol options -- is priced at Rs 2.29 crores. The car will be available at Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai dealerships as a completely built unit from today.
The plug-in hybrid system combines the benefit of an electric motor and a petrol engine, giving enhanced fuel efficiency..
The electric drive, a powerful 96 kW (131hp) lithium-ion battery is located in the front axel. The rear axel is driven by a twin turbo 1.5 litre three-cylinder petrol engine producing 231hp of peak power.
Running on battery, BMW claims the i8 can achieve a top speed of 120kmph with a maximum range of 35 kms.
In conjunction with the petrol engine, the electric motor takes the car to upto 250km/h and depending on the driving style the driving range can be upto 600 kms. The car delivers an average of 47.45 km/litre.
