Along with the official unveiling of the new i4, BMW is also sharing more light on the iX SUV model. The car is currently in the final phase of its series development. At the market launch – which will get underway at the end of 2021 – customers will be able to choose from two model variants: the BMW iX xDrive50 and BMW iX xDrive40.
In the BMW iX xDrive50, the drive system – which features one electric motor on the front axle and another on the rear axle – produces a total output of over 370 kW/500 hp and enables acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 5.0 seconds. The BMW iX xDrive40 has an output of more than 240 kW/300 hp, allowing it to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in a shade over 6.0 seconds.
The BMW iX posts standout efficiency for its segment. The result is average electric power consumption in the WLTP cycle of less than 21 kWh per 62 miles for the BMW iX xDrive50 and under 20 kWh per 62 miles in the case of the BMW iX xDrive40.
Like the electric motors, power electronics and charging technology for the BMW iX, its high-voltage batteries are also the product of fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology.
They are positioned low down in the vehicle floor as an integral component of the body. The gravimetric energy density of the lithium-ion batteries has been increased by around 20 per cent again over the previous-generation battery.
The battery cells are manufactured according to precise specifications from the BMW Group and integrated into model-specific high-voltage batteries. The BMW iX xDrive50 is therefore fitted with a battery with a gross energy content of over 100 kWh at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, while the battery unit for the BMW iX xDrive40 has a gross energy content of more than 70 kWh. This gives the BMW iX xDrive50 a range in excess of 373 miles in the WLTP test cycle. And the WLTP-calculated range of the BMW iX xDrive40 is more than 249 miles. (All figures relating to performance, energy consumption and range are predicted values based on the car’s current stage of development).
The new charging technology of the BMW iX enables DC (direct current) fast charging with extremely high charging power. The BMW iX xDrive50 can replenish its high-voltage battery at up to 200 kW, while the maximum charging capacity of the BMW iX xDrive40 is 150 kW. All of which means that a ten-minute plug-in time provides sufficient energy to add more than 75 miles / 56 miles of range. In both model variants, the high-voltage battery’s charge can be increased from 10 to 80 per cent of its full capacity in under 40 minutes.
