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BMW Concept iX3
The BMW Concept iX3 – on display for the first time at the Auto China 2018 Show in Beijing – is an example of how the brand is bringing electric powertrains to its core vehicles.
The first model from the BMW brand to be driven purely by electric power will be a Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV).
The BMW Concept iX3 has an electric motor with a maximum output of over 200 kW/270 hp and, with a high-voltage battery featuring a capacity of over 70 kWh, a WLTP range of more than 400 kilometres (249 miles).
Another feature of the high-voltage battery developed for the fifth generation of eDrive technology is its optimised charging capability. The energy storage system has a newly developed Charging Control Unit and is designed to be hooked up to fast-charging stations generating up to 150 kW. The high-voltage battery can be charged in just 30 minutes from one of these stations.
Among the innovations showcased in the BMW Concept iX3 is the fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology. A key benefit of this electric drive technology of the future is the grouping together of the electric motor, transmission and power electronics within a new, separate electric drive component. The fifth-generation electric drive system also includes new and more powerful batteries. This fresh package of technology brings considerable advances in terms of performance characteristics, operating range, weight, packaging space and flexibility – and will be making its debut in the purely electrically-driven SAV.
Fully electrified vehicles of the core brand will in future bear a BMW i brand logo. BMW eDrive technology today already is part of the plug-in hybrid drive system employed by the BMW iPerformance models and MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4. In the BMW Concept iX3, the next, highly integrated development stage of this technology delivers all-electric mobility.
With the world premiere of the BMW Concept iX3, the BMW Group is opening a new chapter in its electrification strategy. The future will see the company’s flexible, further developed vehicle architectures accommodating all types of front-wheel, rear-wheel and all-wheel drive. This will pave the way for models from all the company’s brands to be equipped with different drive system variants. And that means a pure combustion engine, plug-in hybrid drive system or battery-electric solution can be integrated into any model.
Like the vehicle architectures and eDrive technology of the future, the BMW Group’s international production network is also set up to provide a high level of flexibility – in this case for the production of models with electric drive systems. Indeed, electrified vehicles are already rolling off assembly lines at ten BMW Group locations around the world.
The BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture will produce the future series-production version of the BMW Concept iX3 in Shenyang, China.
