How much EV range is enough? While 200 miles will do for some, 300 miles is a pretty strong benchmark, and some shoppers want enough range to make road-tripping an EV just as easy as road-tripping a combustion-powered car. For those in the latter camp, here’s a new car you might want to keep an eye on: BMW has released new details on the incoming Neue Klasse iX3 compact electric crossover, and it’s targeting 400 miles of range in 50 xDrive trim.
That’s not WLTP range either, but 400 miles of EPA range in a model you’ll be able to buy here in North America. It’s a segment-busting figure considering the compact crossover leader, the updated Tesla Model Y Long Range, posts a figure of 327 miles of range. It really makes you wonder, how massive of a battery pack did BMW cram between the wheelbase of the new iX3? We know it will use cylindrical cells as opposed to prismatic cells, and that BMW claims 20 percent great energy density compared to its previous-generation cells, but 400 miles of range is going to require some serious juice.
Still, the upside of targeting 400 miles of range is that range anxiety should be basically nonexistent. If the iX3 achieves that figure in the real world, you’d be able to drive one from New York City to Montreal without ever having to stop, a seven-hour drive that will probably tire you out before it tires the car out.
Since huge range usually requires a ton of batteries, the iX3 will come with some serious charging specs. We’ve known for a while that the Neue Klasse EVs will feature an 800-volt architecture, but the highlight here is 400 kW maximum DC fast charging. That’s the ability to draw more power than pretty much any North American charging station can provide, but not only is that a vote of confidence in the future, it should yield a strong charging curve when hooked up to a 300 kW DC fast charging station.
That being said, it seems like BMW’s making charging a bit more complicated than it needs to be with what it calls an intelligent charging flap. If you’ve pulled up to a commonly used piece of charging equipment, the charging door will automatically open. While there are likely anti-ice measures built in, it could be annoying if you come home and don’t intend to plug in yet due to time-of-use electricity rates, but the charging door’s open when you hop out of the car. Hopefully BMW’s built around that possibility, and I’m sure there will be an option to disable it in vehicle settings.
Another feature I’m approaching with caution is the steering wheel, because it sounds like it may use capacitive touch pads for steering wheel controls. As BMW states, the steering wheel “buttons are illuminated when functions are available; relief-like structure and active haptic feedback enable intuitive operation without the driver having to take his or her eyes off the road.” The current Lincoln Nautilus shows buttons that illuminate only when necessary can be done well, but BMW’s vague wording suggests that we might not be looking at traditional buttons when the iX3 launches.
In a normal car, the ABS controller, powertrain control module, and electric power steering control module are all separate computers talking to each other over a relatively slow CAN network. For the Neue Klasse, BMW’s gone and consolidated all of that into one module, meaning all your steering assistance, brake blending, stability control, and powertrain control is done within the same computer. In theory, this should result in quicker and more versatile system control to enhance the driving experience. Recently, Car And Driver had a go in a prototype, and reports “The steering was nicely weighted and very accurate, though it doesn’t provide much feedback. But the chassis balance was excellent, and in Sport mode, which allocates more of the power split to the rear motor, you could easily balance the car with the accelerator in hard corners.” Expected behavior when it comes to steering, but promising stuff for overall playfulness.
It feels like BMW has been due for a reset over the past few years, and the Neue Klasse EVs seem like a big leap into the future, ditching enormous vertical grilles and ushering in some important technical innovations. We should learn a whole lot more about this new iX3 compact electric crossover soon, as it’s expected to debut this September, then officially enter production by the end of the year.
Top graphic image: BMW
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