On September 13th, following the release of pure electric SUVs by Audi and Mercedes-Benz, BMW also announced the launch of its mid-size pure electric SUV, the iX3.
The prices of the two newly released iX3 models from BMW are:
- Leading model, priced at 470,000, NEDC range of 500 km
- Pioneer model, priced at 510,000, NEDC range of 490 km
Let’s talk about the specs first. As for the battery, the iX3 has a power battery capacity of 80 kWh, with a usable net capacity of 74 kWh, using Ningde era’s 811 ternary lithium-ion battery cells with a cobalt-nickel-manganese cathode, with an energy density of 154 Wh/kg. With the large battery, the iX3 has an NEDC range of 500/490 km. The official average energy consumption per 100 km is 16.7 kWh.
The iX3 supports a maximum DC fast charge power of 100 kW, with a charging time of 45 minutes from 0 to 80%. For home AC charging, the iX3 can support a maximum charging power of 11 kW, with a full charge time of 7.5 hours from 0 to 100%.
Now let’s look at the detailed introduction:
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As for the power system, the iX3 uses a 210 kW induction motor with a peak torque of 400 N·m, with a zero to 100 km/h acceleration time of 6.8 seconds. The iX3’s electric drive unit adopts a “three-in-one” design integrating the motor, reducer, and inverter, with a power density 30% higher than previous BMW electric models. At the same time, the drive unit is integrated with the vehicle’s rear axle, with a more compact structure and more direct drive. BMW claims that this design not only increases the vehicle’s power output efficiency, but also provides a more pure driving experience for rear-wheel drive.
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In terms of appearance, the iX3 adopts BMW’s new design language for its pure electric series, with design elements such as a semi-closed painted grille and aerodynamic wheels. These not only help reduce wind resistance and increase range, but also visually convey the message of “this is an electric car”. In addition, to distinguish the iX3 from traditional fuel vehicles, BMW has used a lot of blue design elements in the exterior, interior, and infotainment system UI to emphasize the pure electric theme, giving the entire vehicle a more tech-savvy appearance.
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On the assisted driving side, the iX3 series comes standard with the latest BMW automated driving assistance system Pro, which provides functions including driving assistance, traffic congestion assistance, and lane change assistance. The iX3 is also equipped with optional all-round automatic parking assistance functions, including automatic parking, BMW driving recorder, reverse tracing assistance, remote 3D parking imaging and more. The assisted driving system on the iX3 now has a visual display of the traffic environment, including identifying two-wheeled vehicles on the road. In the 42 Mark test, the BMW X5 performed well in comprehensive assisted driving ability, and the assisted driving of the iX3 is also worth looking forward to.
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On the after-sales service side, BMW offers a whole-car warranty of 3 years/100,000 km, a power battery warranty of 8 years/160,000 km, and an electric motor and control unit warranty of 8 years/120,000 km for the iX3. During the 3-year vehicle warranty period, customers can enjoy free 24/7 road rescue service. When the high-voltage battery is about to run out of power or has already run out, customers can also enjoy free on-site charging services, free customer charging services, and free towing to the nearest charging station. In addition, customers can also enjoy free door-to-door maintenance pickup and delivery services within three years.
BMW uses engine simulation sound wave on the iX3, and the sound of starting and shutting down is created by famous composer Hans Zimmer, who has won Oscars and Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Score. The personalized tone and tone color establish a deeper communication between the users’ auditory experience and vehicle performance. The vehicle’s throttle mode also offers plenty of custom options for different users, including stop mode, idle mode, and Adaptive mode, which can adjust the energy recovery based on vehicle speed.
Customers who purchase the iX3 will receive a free charging wall box and free basic installation service provided by BMW. Customers who do not have the conditions to install a private charging pile can choose to keep the free charging wall box or use the charging card service available in some cities. This charging card service includes free charging for 1800 degrees within 2 years.
iX3 will be a vehicle model manufactured and globally supplied by Huachen in Shenyang. During the development of the vehicle’s battery pack, it underwent up to 128 mechanical verification tests, including burning, seawater immersion, dropping, piercing, vibration, and compression, as well as 994 software function tests, to ensure compliance with global market regulations and BMW’s stringent quality standards.
The battery module production line can achieve 100% automated production. The insulation material is sprayed onto the battery cells, and insulation diaphragms are added between the cells, ensuring insulation between the cells and improving safety. The production line adopts advanced, high-precision processes such as plasma cleaning, laser welding, and visual quality monitoring to control the quality of the product, and conducts 100% insulation tests on finished products to ensure product quality reliability and consistency.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.