*This article is republished from autocarweekly WeChat official account.
Author: Joey
In these few days, Microsoft has released a brand new operating system – Windows 11. For more people who are using Intel chips before the eighth generation, it’s time to say goodbye to the latest Intel official upgrade push. This is often the case, the emergence of new technology always means that we have to separate from old products.
Because you know, the birth of new technology can always help people quickly get rid of a fixed way of life and perception of fixed things. This is especially true for the computer system, and even more so for the automobile, a traditional industry that has been developed for more than 130 years.
iX3 will help Brilliance BMW go further in the tide of the times
Before driving Brilliance BMW iX3 from Ningde, Fujian to Lishui, Zhejiang, my friend from the organizer asked me in a chat whether I was ready to say goodbye to internal combustion engine vehicles. As someone who has studied “sunset disciplines” – automotive engineering, I still insist that the next car I buy must be one with an internal combustion engine. But I also clearly told her: “I know that new energy is the trend of the times, and I will definitely use new energy vehicles without exception in the future.”
I know that in this era, making cars is no longer dominated by traditional automobile giants. For those new forces in the car-making industry who constantly push new energy vehicle technology to new heights, continuously create new intelligent driving technologies, human-machine interaction, and even new ecological brands, traditional automobile brands are outdated. But I still believe that the strength of the system and the experience in car-making will truly determine which car-making old brand and which car-making new force can go further.
And iX3 will help Brilliance BMW, and even BMW brand, go further.
Energy forms are changing, but the soul of BMW driving is still the same
First of all, I have to admit that I have always been very appreciative and fond of BMW’s driving control capabilities. Of course, I also believe that many people will challenge me on this point, because no new energy vehicle will not promote its super acceleration performance as an important product feature.
But it must be clear that acceleration performance can never fully represent a vehicle’s driving control capabilities. The precision of turning, the tuning of the chassis, the dynamic control of the vehicle, the comfort of the ride, and other indicators will determine a vehicle’s handling performance from various dimensions.
If the X3 of Brilliance BMW is the leader in handling performance among other vehicles in its level, what about the iX3 after electrification? The answer is: the same, or even better!Although the power is still abundant, the engine of the iX3 has been replaced by electric drive, and although it is still a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the propshaft has been replaced by a motor on the rear wheels. What is irreplaceable, however, is the soul of BMW’s pursuit of a more premium driving experience. In the actual driving process, you can still experience the driving experience of a fuel car on this pure electric vehicle; at the same time, you can also feel the unique driving pleasure of an electric vehicle in the single pedal mode and energy recovery braking function. You can still pursue faster acceleration experience on the highway, and you can still experience precise steering and flexible handling on winding mountain roads.
All of this comes from the double-ball-joint shock absorber with spring support used in the front axle of the BMW Brilliance iX3, which can optimize the axle’s motion performance from multiple levels such as driving dynamics, directional stability, and steering feedback. At the same time, the five-link rear axle brings precise rear wheel control, stability, and steering precision to the vehicle. It is because of these features that the iX3 can perform well on both highways and mountain roads.
It can be said that although the form of energy has changed, BMW is still BMW.
The Ultimate Proposition of Human-Vehicle Relationship in Next-generation Travel
Before departure, someone asked me, “In the era of intelligent driving, do you prefer to drive on your own or let the car help you drive?”
My answer is, “If driving cannot be done by oneself, what is the meaning of driving?”
However, despite the answer based on my trust and love for BMW’s driving capabilities, it is undeniable that in today’s rapidly developing intelligent driving technology, you will always assign more tedious and boring driving tasks to the machine.
It is precisely based on this consensus that you can find the standard Pro autopilot assist system and Plus automatic parking assist system on the iX3. There is no doubt that this “Pro” and “Plus” signify the iX3’s determination to embrace both pure electric driving and the era of intelligent driving.Under the leadership of “professional” and “enhancement”, the iX3 will be equipped with a system that employs millimeter-wave radar as the primary sensor to judge the side road markers, collision risks, and road conditions, and make decisions on auto-lane changing and parking in congested and narrow spaces. Although I strongly advise against allowing drivers to really let go of the wheel in the current L2-level autonomous driving assistance environment, the goal of the iX3 is to significantly reduce user driving fatigue in complex road environments.
This technological development not only greatly reduces people’s fatigue level, but also creates opportunities for deep interaction between people and cars. During the driving process, a greeting of “Hello, BMW” can wake up the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, which can help you interact with the vehicle via voice and execute commands. During the journey, you can also use the iX3’s in-car ecosystem to access third-party applications such as Tencent WeChat, QQ Music, and Himalaya to make your trip more enjoyable. In addition, Apple CarPlay and wireless charging in the car make your phone a second set of in-car system anytime.
Ultimately, the leading intelligent driving assistance, together with rich and optional human-machine interaction scene modes, allows you to truly break away from pure mechanical constraints and enter the era of intelligent travel.
Excellent range to ease anxiety
I know that “anxiety” is always an unavoidable topic when talking about pure electric vehicles. The anxiety over range and charging time is enough to make more people take a wait-and-see attitude towards electric vehicles.
Therefore, more and more electric cars with long and “ultra-long” ranges are emerging or on the way. In comparison, the range of traditional luxury brand electric cars is generally lower. Is it because they lack the technological strength to achieve longer ranges?
During the iX3 test drive, we drove a route of more than 300 kilometers, which included highways, city roads, mountain roads, and other common and uncommon road forms. The test drive did not supplement electric energy and the driving state was essentially free, with energy-saving during the process being completely controlled by the driver.For a pure electric vehicle like iX3 with a NEDC range of 500 kilometers, such road conditions are actually very challenging for actual endurance. In the high-speed highway section, which is the most “fearful” for electric vehicles, the organizer did not adopt the formation driving mode as I expected, but allowed the test driver to experience freely and formulate driving strategies and choose driving modes within a controllable time and range, resulting in a low power consumption of only 16 degrees in the actual driving performance.
For an SUV model with a larger aerodynamic drag coefficient, such power consumption level is quite good. During the driving process, the freedom to choose driving mode (such as Eco Pro), braking energy recovery strategy (low, medium, high, and customized four gears), and the opening and closing of air conditioning and entertainment facilities, and even the suitable autonomous driving assistance functions will effectively save energy for iX3.
After my actual driving experience ended, the remaining range of 73 kilometers far exceeded my expectations. More importantly, in the downhill section that followed, by using the vehicle’s potential energy in combination with iX3’s custom energy recovery function, 4-5 degrees of electricity can be recovered in just over 20 kilometers. On the trial driving route of more than 300 kilometers throughout the day, the energy recovery function of the vehicle recovered more than 25 kW/h of electricity for this vehicle equipped with a 74 kW/h battery, which truly achieved efficient and circular use of energy.
Low-carbon Supply Chain, Relieving the World’s Anxiety
iX3’s destination for this trip was Pingtian Village in Lishui, Zhejiang. In this ancient village with a long history, like a peach blossom land, you can find a picture of a harmonious coexistence between people and nature that has been missing for a long time. At the same time, you can also see modern village renovation projects such as Pioneer Bookstore.
For more people, the perfect picture of this world is to integrate the most advanced technological achievements with the most primitive natural environment.
In recent years, with the increasingly close relationship between cars and the environment, Brilliance BMW has also begun to continuously change in order to keep up with the times. Through in-depth cooperation with top battery manufacturers such as CATL, Brilliance BMW has successfully launched its own new energy product line, providing users with cleaner, more environmentally friendly, and efficient energy while maintaining BMW’s driving control essence.
Meanwhile, in the production and manufacturing sector, BMW Brilliance has been committed to reducing the carbon emissions of various components in the value chain through continuous efforts in product mix, production processes, supply chains, logistics, and other areas. This series of initiatives launched by BMW Brilliance is in line with the goals set forth by the first BMW Group Sustainable Development China Summit held recently, which is to reduce the average carbon dioxide emissions of BMW cars by at least one third from 2019 levels and reduce the average carbon emissions in the supply chain by 20% by 2030.
The world we live in is always changing, and the automotive industry is no exception. Although for many people, it takes time to move away from internal combustion engines, completely eliminating doubts about new energy also requires a process.
However, for more and more people, why not have a car like the BMW iX3 from BMW Brilliance that not only provides excellent driving experience but also delivers better intelligent and energy-saving experience, and ultimately contributes a little more to the world?
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.