FIRST-EVER BMW iX TO LAUNCH IN NEW ZEALAND IN Q4 2021 WITH xDrive40 & xDrive50 VARIANTS.
The first-ever BMW iX, which is currently undergoing its final phase of series development, will arrive in New Zealand in Q4 this year with two model variants – the iX xDrive40 and BMW iX xDrive50.
The new BMW iX redefines the successful Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) concept and is the first model based on a new, modular and scalable toolkit upon which the future of the BMW Group will be built.
Development and production of the BMW iX follows an all-encompassing approach to sustainability involving compliance with strict environmental and social standards in the extraction of raw materials, the consumption of electricity from renewable sources during production, and a high proportion of recycled materials used.
“Technology is driving the advances we need to tackle the greatest challenges,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “This applies in particular to climate protection. We are in no doubt: mobility has to be sustainable if it is to represent a truly outstanding solution. For the BMW Group, premium mobility is not possible without responsibility.
Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, added: “We made a promise and we will deliver on that promise: the market launch of the BMW iX will get underway at the end of this year with a two-pronged approach – in the form of the BMW iX xDrive40 and BMW iX xDrive50.”
Monitored raw materials production, across-the-board green power for manufacturing, high proportion of natural and recycled materials.
The BMW Group procures the cobalt and lithium required for the high-voltage batteries from controlled sources in Australia and Morocco before supplying them to the battery cell manufacturers.
During production of the overall vehicle at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, the battery cells are manufactured using exclusively green power from certified sources.
Since February 2021 the company has procured aluminium manufactured using electricity from solar energy plants. The importance placed on conserving resources in the production of the BMW iX is highlighted by the high proportion of secondary aluminium and recycled plastic used. The car’s interior features FSC-certified wood, leather tanned with olive leaf extracts and other natural materials.
Among the raw materials used for the floor coverings and mats are recovered fishing nets.
“Rather than simply passing responsibility on to the supplier network, we take responsibility together with our direct suppliers,” said Dr Andreas Wendt, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for the Purchasing and Supplier Network.
“In so doing, we tap into our many years of experience and create processes for attaining greater transparency and traceability.”
Electric motors: enhancing dynamism; reducing use of critical materials
The electric motors for the BMW iX are marked out by a design that enables the use of rare earths to be avoided.
They work according to the principle of a current-excited synchronous motor. The excitation of the rotor in the BMW iX motors is not induced by fixed permanent magnets, but rather the feed-in of electric energy. This removes the need for the critical materials used to manufacture magnets. The BMW Group is therefore not reliant on their availability.
This special design also has a positive effect on the motors’ performance characteristics. The precisely controlled excitation of the rotor using electric power enables peak torque to be on tap in full immediately or when pulling away.
The defining trait of the driving experience of the BMW iX is power delivery that is not only lightning fast but also unusually consistent, underscoring the car’s brand-typical sporting excellence.
In the BMW iX xDrive50, the drive system – which features one electric motor on the front axle and another at the rear axle – produces total output of more than 370kW and enables acceleration of 0 to 100km/h in less than 5.0 seconds. The BMW iX xDrive40 has an output of more than 240kW, allowing it to sprint from 0 to 100km/h in approximately 6.0 seconds.
Efficient drive system and latest battery technology increase range
The electric motor, transmission and power electronics of the BMW iX come together as a highly integrated package within a single housing.
This compact construction, in addition to optimised aerodynamics and intelligent design, also benefits the drive system’s efficiency. The result is average electric power consumption in the WLTP cycle of less than 21kWh per 100 kilometres for the BMW iX xDrive50 and less than 20kWh per 100 kilometres for the BMW iX xDrive40.
As with the electric motors, power electronics and charging technology for the BMW iX, the 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 fitted with a battery carrying a gross energy content of more than 100kWh, while the battery unit for the BMW iX xDrive40 has a gross energy content of more than 70kWh.
This provides the BMW iX xDrive50 a range in excess of 600 kilometres* in the WLTP test cycle. The WLTP-calculated range of the BMW iX xDrive40 meanwhile is more than 400 kilometres*.
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 200kW, while the maximum charging capacity of the BMW iX xDrive40 is 150kW.
This means that a 10-minute plug-in time provides sufficient energy to add more than 120 kilometres and 90 kilometres of range respectively. In both model variants, the high-voltage battery’s charge can be increased from 10 to 80 per cent of its full capacity in less than 40 minutes.
New technology toolkit underpins further advances towards automated driving
The new technology toolkit making its debut in the BMW iX also provides the platform for significant progress in the areas of automated driving and digital services. For example, the level of computing power has been developed to process 20 times the data volume of previous models. As a result, around double the amount of data from vehicle sensors can be processed than was previously possible.
“We are setting new industry standards with the technology in the BMW iX,” said Frank Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development.
“The iX has more computing power for data processing and more powerful sensor technology than the newest vehicles in our current line-up, is 5G-capable, will be given new and improved automated driving and parking functions and uses the high-performing fifth generation of our electric drive system.”
