BMW 3 plug in 2

The BMW 3 Series eDrive prototype has been caught by our spies and its pictures have graced our page before, but this is the first time the car has been seen completely undisguised.

Far more obvious now is the flap that covers the charging socket in the left front fender, similar to the Concept X5 eDrive. As before, the rest of the car is virtually identical to a regular F30 3 Series, although like the eDrive concept the final production model will likely be distinguishable through unique badging and light blue accents, among other body addenda.

As previously reported, the production BMW 3 Series eDrive (rumoured to be badged 320e) is expected to share its powertrain with the X5 eDrive, which will feature a turbocharged four-cylinder engine – presumably a variant of BMW's 2.0 litre TwinPower Turbo mill – mated to a 95 hp electric motor.

On the X5 eDrive, the battery is designed to be able to be charged from a domestic socket and provides an all-electric range of 30 km at speeds of up to 120 km/h.