All set to enter production next year, the BMW iX pure electric SUV is now ready for the final winter testing, and if all goes well, the model’s series production process could even begin ahead of schedule.
The iX is BMW’s first model based on a new, modular and scalable future BMW Group construction concept, powered by two electric motors that generate a maximum power output of more than 500 hp.
The endurance test, which is being held under extreme weather conditions beyond the Arctic Circle, will put the electric motors, four-wheel drive system, charging technology, high-voltage batteries, and the heat management system to the ultimate test under sub-zero temperatures.
Unsecured tracks, icy roads and ice surfaces especially prepared for test-driving on the edge of the Arctic Circle offer the ideal conditions to precisely coordinate the motor control technology, the electric four-wheel drive and suspension control systems right up to the limits of longitudinal and lateral vehicle dynamics.
An integral part of the endurance test at the North Cape is also the final tuning of the intelligent four-wheel drive system BMW xDrive and adaptive adjustment of the axle-specific yaw moment, which in addition to stability and traction also constantly optimizes the BMW iX’s efficiency.
The aim of the development is to achieve an extremely low combined power consumption of less than 21 kWh per 100 kilometres in the WLTP test cycle and a range of more than 600 kilometres, likewise according to WLTP, values which are untypical of this class.
Powered by the fifth generation BMW eDrive technology that comprises two electric motors, the iX is capable of kicking out 500 hp and accelerating from naught to 100 in under 5.0 seconds.
The powertrain also enables the BMW iX to record a range of over 600 kilometres in the WLTP cycle. The battery can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent of its full capacity in under 40 minutes using DC fast charging at up to 200 kW.
Added to which, within ten minutes enough energy can be fed into the battery to increase the car’s range by more than 120 kilometres. 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 BMW iX will go into production at BMW Plant Dingolfing from the second half of 2021 as the BMW Group’s new technology flagship. It brings together the company’s latest developments in the strategic innovation fields of Design, Automated Driving, Connectivity, Electrification and Services.
The folks at BMW claim that they are setting new industry standards with the technology in the BMW iX, with things like the high computing power for data processing, more powerful sensor technology than the current line-up, 5G-connectivity, as well as new and improved automated driving and parking functions.
