BMW iX3 redefines distances: range of over 1.000 km

BMW iX3 Redefines the Limits: Over 1000 Kilometers on a Single Charge, a Sign of the New Electric Era

Subject: The new BMW iX3 electric SUV, the first model in the Neue Klasse family, achieved an astonishing performance, traveling over 1000 kilometers without recharging.

The Record That Exceeds WLTP Expectations

In an official test, the BMW engineering team demonstrated the revolutionary potential of the new generation of electric vehicles. The protagonist: the new BMW iX3 50 xDrive, a premium SUV built on the advanced Neue Klasse electric platform.

The challenge was simple in theory but monumental in practice: driving the distance between its factory in Debrecen, Hungary, and BMW headquarters in Munich, Germany, on a single charge. At the end of the trip, the odometer showed a distance of 1007.7 kilometers.

This performance is all the more remarkable as it exceeds by over 200 kilometers the official range estimated by the manufacturer in the WLTP cycle, which is up to 805 kilometers. Upon arrival, the battery with an impressive capacity of 108.7 kWh still had only 2% energy reserve, theoretically enough for about another 20 kilometers.

Crew Strategy: Sacrifice for Efficiency

How was this spectacular surpassing of the official figures possible? The test, although carried out in real traffic conditions, required a hyper-efficiency strategy, eliminating any factor that could have increased consumption.

1.     Avoiding Highways: The crew avoided highways, choosing national roads and local routes with lower travel speeds. This allowed for low energy consumption and maximized the use of the braking energy recovery (regeneration) system, which is much more effective at moderate urban and extra-urban speeds.
2.     Drastic Interior Savings: To squeeze every Wh out of the battery, the climate control system (air conditioning/heating) and even the audio system (radio) were completely disabled, although the latter's impact is minimal throughout the trip.
3.     Optimal Equipment: The car was equipped with the smallest 20-inch wheels available in the range to reduce rolling resistance and improve aerodynamics.

Technological Implications: The Power of the New Platform

The result of 1007.7 km is not relevant for the average highway driver, but it highlights BMW's major technological achievements:

•     Gen6 Platform and Neue Klasse: The performance demonstrates the superior efficiency of the new electrical architecture. This platform, together with the new prismatic cell batteries, promises not only extended range, but also extremely fast charging speed, thanks to the 800V architecture that supports speeds of up to 400 kW at compatible DC stations.
•     Under-Estimated Efficiency: The test suggests that, under optimal driving conditions, BMW's next-generation electric technology is much more efficient than the WLTP ratings, which also include higher speed cycles, suggest.

The new BMW iX3 50 xDrive, with its 463 horsepower, is not only a fast SUV, capable of 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, but also a benchmark for long-distance efficiency. Although no one will repeat this test under normal driving conditions (with the air conditioning on and highway speed), the result of over 1000 kilometers is a clear message from BMW: anxiety about autonomy is becoming a thing of the past for the Neue Klasse.