I drove half of Poland in the “presidential” electric car. There were plenty of surprises

Ashley Davis20/12/2025

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My editorial colleague Grzegorz Kowalczyk drove an Audi electric car from Hel to Zakopane. I envied him a bit and took the BMW on a slightly different route. It started in traffic jams in Warsaw. Then I drove along the busy A2 motorway and expressways, taking a slight detour to reach the Baltic coast.

The president drives a petrol 7 series, of course in an armored version. I got a different version – without armor, with electric drive and in a sports version. It was the i7 M70 model.

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Users of top limousines are basically divided into those who like to sit “behind the wheel” and those who prefer to be transported in the back. However, there is a certain group that either cannot decide or likes to switch between passenger and driver roles. Limousines such as the i7 M70 were created for such customers. The president, of course, moves in the back seat. And you can only envy his luxuries.

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The rest of the article is below the video

In the BMW 7 you can have a large, foldable screen. There is a “cinema mode” option – after pressing the appropriate function, the screen unfolds, the lighting dims and the blinds lower. You can actually feel like you're in the cinema – and maybe even more comfortable.

You can turn the rear seat into a small couch, and you can also turn on the massage function (in countless configurations, in terms of intensity). For a moment I wished I had a driver. However, the numerous comforts of the rear seat can also be appreciated by an electric driver, but more on that later.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

What can a driver of a BMW electric limousine count on? Top electric cars are a bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – and this is probably their main advantage. They allow for very calm driving, but after pressing the appropriate modes they can turn into a real racing car. The manufacturer states that the BMW i7 M70 accelerates to “hundreds” in 3.7 seconds. For comparison, the Ferrari 360 Modena, the car of my childhood dreams, reaches 100 km/h in 4.3-4.5 seconds.

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The difference is that there is no mode in Ferrari that would allow for relaxed driving on the highway. Wealthy enthusiasts of combustion cars often had several cars. Something for the city, something for comfortable routes – and something in which you can feel sports emotions. In the era of electric cars, you can have these several cars in one, as the BMW limousine shows.

My test took place in quite demanding weather conditions – it snowed and the temperature was around zero. So unfortunately I had to use the sports mode less often than I wanted. In any case, the front driver's seat provided many other sensations. Driving a limousine is extremely comfortable, especially considering features such as the Harman Kardon speaker system and the previously mentioned massages.

The road from the perspective of a BMW i7 driver

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Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska

Driving large limousines was often a challenge for the driver. In this case, we are talking about a car that is almost 5.4 m long. The BMW in the test version was so large that sometimes… it did not fit into the designated charging bays. So there was a bit of stress. Sometimes I was afraid that, for example, the driver of a truck might hit a charging car.

The limousine did not always fit in the charging spaces

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Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska

Surprisingly, parking itself was not difficult due to the countless systems that make maneuvering easier.

Is Poland ready for such routes?

Traveling long distances in electric cars has its fierce opponents. They point out that frequent recharging of the car is difficult due to infrastructure deficiencies. So you need to plan your trip well.

When it comes to infrastructure, after driving hundreds of kilometers I can say that it is really good in Poland. There are a lot of chargers on main routes – such as the A2 – and many of them are very efficient. It's not bad in smaller towns either.

I experienced quite a shock when I reached Międzyrzecz, where approximately 17,000 people live. people. There were several efficient chargers from Green Way waiting for me at the Aldi supermarket, so charging was not a big problem. Although I must admit – to fully charge the car, the vehicle had to be connected to the machine for several dozen minutes.

And here I discovered the advantages of rear seats. You could use the “cinema” or turn the back seat into a quite comfortable office. The problem, of course, is that there is not always time to look for chargers and wait for the battery to fill up.

You can watch the limousine charging on the display

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Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska

Electric cars have increasingly better ranges, and chargers are getting faster. However, if you often go on trips and want to cover them as quickly as possible, traditional drives will still be better.

Also because surprises keep coming. It happened to me that the charging station that appeared in the applications… did not work yet. One station on A2 had a breakdown and was closed. Taking all this into account, it's better to have some battery power to spare. This, however, complicates motorway travel even more.

An unpleasant surprise on the route

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Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska

I converted a limousine into a mobile office

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Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska

When driving dynamically – and in low temperatures – the car's range decreases quickly. This is a big minus and a paradox of top electricians. Their performance encourages very dynamic, sporty driving on long “highway” routes. However, observing the battery charge status effectively discourages such driving.

Another thing is that Poles rarely cover routes lasting several hours, and drivers of top limousines even less often. If someone drives mainly around the city and on routes that take 1-2 hours, an electric car may be a great choice. Especially if we have a photovoltaic installation at home and we can charge an electrician with our own charger.

The biggest surprise

Electric cars have become commonplace on Polish roads. Moreover, the latest data provided by the website superauto.pl based on Samar's research indicate that in November 2025, as much as over 10 percent newly registered cars were already electric. Thus, electric cars have slightly overtaken diesel vehicles.

Electric cars can also be seen on highways, but interestingly, they are not seen with chargers on such roads. While traveling on highways or expressways, I only met another driver loading the car once – it was another BMW, with Belgian sheet metal. And this was probably the biggest surprise of the entire trip.

My conclusion is that Poles may buy electric cars, but they still rarely drive them on long journeys. This may change, of course. The new electric BMW iX3 model is to have a range of approximately 800 km. Traveling around Poland in electric cars should become easier and easier in the coming years.

In my opinion, the only clear advantage that combustion engines have over electric cars is the range on routes. Yes, there are enthusiasts of combustion engines who appreciate the sound of traditional drives. I understand that, but after driving the A2 for a few hours, I really appreciated the silence of the electric drive – and I didn't really miss the roar of a combustion car with similar performance.

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If a “presidential” limousine is to make an impression, provide luxury and have a sporty flair, then the BMW 7 seems to meet these needs. For now, however – at least in Poland – the i7 model is not useful for the president due to its electric heart. However, the time when the head of state will drive electric may come quite quickly, taking into account the development of e-motorization. Moreover, BMW already offers an armored version of the i7.