The iX3 is the first BMW model based on the ‘Neue Klasse’ and will be unveiled at the IAA Mobility in September. The Munich-based company is providing some closer insights into the test drives with the prototypes, including fast charging with up to 400 kW.
“Longer range, faster charging, an all-new display and operating concept, and the intelligence of four superbrains are the distinguishing features of the Neue Klasse,” says Mike Reichelt, Head of New Class at the BMW Group.
With the current near-production prototypes, the development of the first model in the new class is ‘on the home straight’ according to BMW. The vehicles covered in camouflage foil are currently undergoing their test program in BMW’s test center in Miramas in the south of France. However, this is only a matter of fine-tuning and final optimisations; BMW has long since laid down the foundations of the platform and the iX3 as a mid-size SUV.
More details on charging and range
A few months before the model’s premiere and the start of series production at the new Debrecen plant (pre-series production is already underway there), BMW is now providing specific data on the new iX3, although not all of it yet, as BMW also wants to be able to present some more information at the world premiere.
It has been known for some time that the New Class is based on an 800-volt architecture. However, BMW is now specifically stating that the iX3 can charge with a peak charging capacity of 400 kW. The tests were carried out on a HYC400 hypercharger from Alpitronic, the charging station manufacturer from South Tyrol.
BMW also states that customers should be able to recharge a range of more than 350 kilometers in ten minutes. The Munich-based company has not yet specified the charging time for the usual range from 10 to 80%; this information will likely not be available until the world premiere in September, but a charging time of less than 20 minutes seems possible.
BMW also reveals that the WLTP range for the iX3 50 xDrive will be up to 800 kilometers, 900 kilometers are specified for China in the less stringent CLTC, and 400 miles (640 km) for the US in the more severe EPA test. Eight hundred kilometers on a full charge translates to 560 kilometers for 70% of the battery (i.e., the range from 10% to 80% of the battery).
If the iX3 can recharge 350 kilometers in ten minutes, electricity for 210 kilometers would have to flow into the battery in the remaining ten minutes to stay under 20 minutes. Provided the charging curve does not completely collapse after the 400 kW peak, this should be possible.
Speaking of the charging curve, in the future, this can also be tracked remotely via the ‘My BMW’ app. BMW added: “Charging at 400 V DC charging stations will, of course, still be possible.”
Bidirectional charging
Bidirectional charging will be available as soon as the iX3 is launched. Using a special adapter, it is possible to use electricity from the drive battery to operate electrical devices via Vehicle-to-Load (V2L); in Europe, this should be possible with a discharge power of up to 3.7 kW.
BMW also offers Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G). BMW wants to set “new standards for the integration of the vehicle into the energy market.”
However, this requires a DC wallbox from BMW, which should enable charging and discharging power of up to 19.2 kW, depending on the market. BMW has not yet provided details on the markets or the price of the DC wallbox.
‘Heart of Joy’
The press release on the prototypes also focuses on the driving experience and the new central computer, known as the ‘Heart of Joy’, which controls the drive functions.
“Together with the BMW Dynamic Performance Control software stack, the Heart of Joy is pivotal to powertrain, brakes, recuperation, and sub-functions of the steering system. It processes information ten times faster than previous systems and, therefore, responds more directly than ever to the driver’s command,” wrote BMW.
As a result, the vehicle should develop “consistent, reproducible cornering behaviour” and be intuitive to control. This also applies to recuperation, which is effective across the entire speed range right up to standstill. According to BMW, recuperation should be sufficient to stop the vehicle without using the disc brakes in 98% of cases in everyday driving.
Four ‘superbrains’
The next generation of BMW driver assistance systems is also being rolled out in the iX3. “The proven, rule-based assistance systems will be supplemented by an advanced, AI-based approach, which is designed to support the driver safely and in optimum symbiosis, even in challenging traffic situations,” says the press release. The system, referred to here as the ‘Superbrain of Automated Driving’, is designed to calculate up to 20 times faster than the previous system.
With four ‘Superbrains’, the electronics and software architecture of the ‘Neue Klasse’ has been completely reorganized. Over-the-air updates are to become standard with a powerful cloud, which can also be used to roll out numerous intelligent features after the market launch.
“With the upcoming BMW iX3, the first model of the new car generation, we are introducing fundamental technology upgrades with the explicit aim of raising the typical BMW driving pleasure to a whole new level,” concludes Reichelt. “The all-new BMW iX3 will bring our revolutionary technologies into series production for the first time, and we can hardly wait to see it in action on the road. All future BMW models, regardless of powertrain type, will benefit from the innovations and technology clusters of the Neue Klasse.”
