A year before its market launch at the end of 2021, the BMW Group has given a first look ahead to the future all-electric BMW iX, which is currently still in the series development phase. The BMW iX is the first model based on a new, modular, scalable future toolkit developed by the BMW Group.
The BMW iX, an all-electric SUV, features the latest innovations of electrification, automated driving and connectivity and will be the BMW Group’s new technology flagship vehicle. It will go into production at BMW Plant Dingolfing from the second half of 2021.
It will be powered by BMW’s fifth generation eDrive technology, which encompasses the two new electric motors and high-voltage battery that will deliver a maximum output of more than 500 hp and 0 to 62 mph in under 5.0 seconds. The power unit developed by the BMW Group is manufactured sustainably, without the use of critical raw materials known as rare earths.
The BMW iX posts low combined electric power consumption figure of less than 21 kWh per 100 kilometers in the WLTP test cycle. A gross energy content of more than 100 kWh should enable the latest-generation high-voltage battery to record a range of over 600 kilometers in the WLTP cycle. That equates to more than 300 miles according to the EPA’s FTP-75 test procedure.
In addition to this, sustainability comes in the form of other areas of the car such as its optimized aerodynamics, intelligent lightweight design and extensive use of natural and recycled materials. The batteries fitted in the BMW iX are designed as part of a long-term resource cycle and enable an exceptionally high recycling rate. The power used to produce the battery cells and the high-voltage battery as a whole come exclusively from renewable sources.
The new charging technology of the BMW iX enables DC fast charging at up to 200 kW so the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent of its full capacity in under 40 minutes. Added to which, within ten minutes enough energy can be fed into the battery to increase the car’s range by more than 75 miles. It takes less than eleven hours to charge the high-voltage battery from 0 to 100 per cent at 11 kW from a Wallbox.
The exterior of the BMW iX represents a distinctive re-imagining of the powerful proportions of a large BMW SAV. The BMW iX is comparable with the BMW X5 in length and width, and is almost the same height as the BMW X6 on account of its flowing roofline. The size of its wheels, meanwhile, brings to mind the BMW X7.
