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Electric Vehicles (EVs) are undoubtedly the future for the automobile – at least for the next decade anyways, until governments and manufacturers come around to e-fuels… However until then, if or when, the car industry is firmly committed to producing EVs. Like everyone else, I’m all for anything that is an improvement over whatever it replaces and so EVs ticks almost all the boxes. One very big box that remains unchecked, however, is the business of charging. If you are an apartment dweller like me, who doesn’t have regular access to a personal wall box or is using your EV for a road trip, then you’ll know that you have to set up an account with the charging provider, and store your credit card number. And since there are several operators, it would be prudent to hold several accounts to minimize the chances of not being able to charge your EV when need to. Oh, on road trips, charging stops have to be planned lest you be stranded with a dead EV. Compare this with the convenience of refuelling conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars. The drive down the I-5 to Los Angeles takes you through one of the most uninhabited places in California. Yet, you could still find a gas station with no more than 25 miles between them. You can drive up to any station, use any method of payment, including cash – imagine that, fill up and be on your way for the next 400 miles or so. All in 10 minutes or less. While EV charging technology is getting faster, and over time will be more common, the business of paying for the charge is ridiculously complicated to paying at the pump. No amount needed, just hand over your money and go. How is this progress? Okay, I’m sure someone is working on making EV charging more convenient. Wake me up when September ends. Testing the hybrid theory Until charging an EV becomes as convenient as refuelling, perhaps hybrid cars will be relevant in the sense that they offer all the advantages of an EV without the drawbacks. This proved to be the case when I drove a 2023 BMW 330e from Los Gatos to Los Angeles. The car was chosen on the assumption that its 107hp electric motor would be sufficient for pottering around the city while the 181hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine would have the legs to handle the endless stretches of Interstate Freeways without breaking a sweat. Working in tandem with the electric motor, there’s a combined output of 288hp and 310Nm at its driver’s disposal. Over 300 miles or so of interstate driving, the motor, along with regenerative inertia and braking would have plenty of time to charge up the batteries so I essentially could cruise in the city.
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2023 BMW 330e xDrive: The Really Easy e

IN BMW, 330e

A drive from Silicon Valley to Los Angeles shows why plug-in hybrids still make sense in a growing EV world.


Powered mainly by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine, that on its own, pushes out a decent 181 bhp and 290 Nm of torque. But coupled with the huge battery that sits under the rear boot, the combined power output is a rather heady 252 bhp and a cumulative torque figure of 420 Nm. This enables the hybrid 3-Series to hit 100 km/h from standstill in 6.1 seconds and propels it to a 225 km/h top speed.
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BMW 330e iPerformance | Electrifying

We test the first model in BMW’s performance range - the 330e packs some hybrid punch while retaining its 3-Series drive characteristics



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