BMW has announced the company’s new all-electric iX is ready for series production and is due to arrive in November 2021.
The company says it is releasing the BMW iX hoping to embody a fresh new take on the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) concept. Conceived from the outset for purely electric mobility, this model is based on a “new toolkit for the future,” the company says, adding there is “potential for innovations in the areas of automated driving, operation, connectivity and digital services translates into a premium mobility experience unparalleled in this segment.”
The BMW iX will be launched with a choice of two model variants. Both are equipped with an electric all-wheel-drive system, with combined output of 385 kW/523 HP in the BMW iX xDrive50 (electric power consumption combined in the WLTP cycle: 23.0 – 19.8 kWh/100 km (62 miles); CO2 emissions: 0 g/km) and 240 kW/326 HP in the BMW iX xDrive40 (electric power consumption combined in the WLTP cycle: 22.5 – 19.4 kWh/100 km (62 miles); CO2 emissions: 0 g/km).
The drive technology’s efficiency paired to BMW’s new battery cell technology results in WLTP-calculated ranges of up to 391 miles in the BMW iX xDrive50 and up to 264 miles in the BMW iX xDrive40.
Also set to join the model line-up at a later date is the BMW iX M60 (electric power consumption combined in the WLTP cycle: 21.6 kWh/100 km [62 miles]; CO2 emissions: 0 g/km) with a maximum output in excess of 440 kW/600 HP. (The figures relating to motor output and energy consumption for the BMW iX M60 are predicted values based on the car’s current stage of development.)
Adaptive recuperation gives a boost to the efficiency and range of the BMW iX. Intelligently connected drive management means the intensity of the brake energy recuperation during overrun and active braking can be adapted to the road situation, as detected by data from the navigation system and the sensors used by the driver assistance systems, the company says.
“When approaching a junction, for example, the degree of recuperation can be increased, in order to feed energy back into the high-voltage battery while harnessing the deceleration effect at the same time,” the company says. “On the open road, meanwhile, the coasting function can take over, allowing the car to ‘freewheel’ with no drive power whenever the driver eases off the accelerator.”
Adaptive recuperation is the default setting in driving position D. Alternatively, the driver can choose a high, medium or low Brake Energy Regeneration setting for different driving situations in the BMW iDrive menu.
The new technology toolkit in the BMW iX has the prospect of Level 3 functionality in the medium term, the company says. A new generation of sensors, a new software stack and a powerful computing platform provide the basis for exceptional intelligence. Five cameras, five radar sensors and 12 ultrasonic sensors are used to monitor the vehicle’s surroundings.
