Earlier this year, BMW told the world that it has some truly ambitions plans for its production process and its fleet of cars in terms of their ‘eco-friendliness’. Basically, BMW set out to cut CO2 emissions by as much as possible. The goal is to shave some 10 million tons of CO2 over the next ten years and that implies not just a better production process but also a fleet of more efficient cars, including the already available BMW X1 xDrive25e.

The X1 xDrive25e is the first plug-in hybrid model in the X1 range. Since BMW is planning to offer electrified versions in every model range, this kind of PHEV alternatives will become more often in the near future. According to BMW’s own estimated, about 30 percent of the cars it sells by 2025 will be electrified. But how much CO2 does a hybrid save compared to a regular, petrol-powered, equivalent offer?

Well, according to BMW, measuring the emissions of the BMW X1 xDrive25e and the BMW X1 xDrive25i, the former cuts some 31% of the CO2 released into the atmosphere. And that is the ‘pessimistic’ scenario where the car is charged using the current EU electricity mix over its whole life cycle.

However, if the vehicle uses green electricity exclusively over its entire service life, the CO2 footprint is even 55 percent lower. And if you take into consideration the possibility of that electricity mix using more green power in the future, things are looking even better.

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There’s a big asterisk there though, one thing you really shouldn’t ignore if you’re thinking of buying a plug-in hybrid model. These cars are meant to be charged and used daily as electric vehicles. Otherwise, you’ll just end up burning more fuel and finding a more ‘traditional’ more to be a better choice.

As we’ve been saying in our review of PHEV models, if you can charge them, they make a lot of sense, will save you a lot of money and work towards BMW’s goals of cutting CO2 emissions. The X1 xDrive25e is no exception and, if you have green energy at your disposal you could cut more than half the CO2 emissions compared to a regular car.