Two years after its concept debut at the Beijing motor show, BMW has launched the iX3 electric vehicle that’s based on the X3 SUV.

The X3 will be the brand’s first model to be available with a pure-electric drive system, a plug-in hybrid system or highly efficient petrol and diesel engines. This embodies the BMW Group “Power of Choice” strategic approach, with the company supporting the broad spread of customer requirements and statutory regulations around the world.

Production of the iX3, the first of three new electric, i-branded BMW models due to go on sale within the next 18 months, will take place exclusively at a joint-venture factory operated by BMW and Chinese car maker Brilliance in Shenyang, Liaoning, with right-hand-drive UK deliveries planned to begin in March 2021.

The highly integrated drive system technology at the heart of the new BMW iX3 plays a particularly important role in optimising efficiency and power development. The electric motor, transmission and power electronics are now arranged together in a single housing. The electric motor in the new BMW iX3 works according to the principle of a current-excited synchronous motor, without the use of magnets. This design eliminates the use of rare earth materials of the motor.

The power density of the electric motor in the iX3 is 30 per cent greater than that of existing fully-electric vehicles within the BMW Group portfolio. The motor is up to 93 per cent efficient, compared with under 40 per cent for combustion engines. The new drive system unit generates maximum output of 286 hp and peak torque of 295 lb-ft which, unlike with many other electric motors, is sustained at high revs. The new BMW iX3 sprints from 0 to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds, putting it in the same territory as the conventionally powered BMW X3 xDrive30i. 

Cutting-edge battery-cell technology plays a headline role in the latest development stage of high-voltage batteries. The storage capacity of the battery has been substantially increased, relative to the installation space required and its weight. The gravimetric energy density of the 188 prismatic cells in the new BMW iX3 is around 20 per cent higher than that of the battery cells used by the BMW Group in its fully-electric vehicles up to now. A gross energy content of 80 kWh – of which 74 kWh is utilised – and the high efficiency of the drive systems allow the new BMW iX3 to offer a range of up to 460km (WLTP test cycle).

Another technical highlight making its debut in iX3 thanks to BMW Group’s fifth-generation eDrive technology is the innovative new charging unit, which sends power to both the 400V battery and the 12V on-board power supply. When charging using alternating current, it enables both single-phase and three-phase charging at up to 11 kW. Plugging the vehicle into a direct current rapid-charging station opens the door to charging outputs of up to 150 kW, meaning the high-voltage battery can be charged from 0 to 80 per cent of its full capacity in 34 minutes.

The new BMW iX3 will launch with an exclusive Premier edition for the UK market mid-2021. Pricing and standard specification details will be revealed later this year, with pre-ordering opening at the same time. It’s expected that it will be a similar time frame for New Zealand buyers.