Munich. The countdown is on for the third generation
of the all-new BMW X1 – and for the first fully electrically powered
Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) in the premium compact segment. The
first-ever BMW iX1 (electric power consumption combined: 18.4 – 17.3
kWh/100 km in the WLTP cycle; CO2 emissions: 0 g/km;
electric range: 413 – 438 km [257 – 272 miles] in the WLTP cycle;
figures in the NEDC cycle: – ; predicted values based on the car’s
current stage of development) has now successfully completed driving
dynamics testing at the BMW Group’s winter testing centre in Arjeplog,
northern Sweden. On snow-covered roads and specially prepared ice
tracks around the town of Arjeplog close to the Arctic Circle, it
joined the conventionally powered and plug-in hybrid variants of the
new BMW X1 in passing integrated application tests for its powertrain
and chassis systems. Another fully electric model from the BMW Group
has therefore reached the final phase of series development process.
This test of strength and endurance in bitterly cold temperatures and
wintery road conditions subjected the electric motors, electric
all-wheel-drive technology, high-voltage battery, power electronics
and charging technology of the BMW iX1 to a particularly exacting
examination. Its fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology uses the
latest battery cell technology and intelligently controlled heat
management to enable short charging times and a long range, even in
extreme sub-zero temperatures. With two electric motors (one at the
front axle and one at the rear), whose power delivery is coordinated
precisely to optimise traction and dynamic performance, and its
extremely fast-acting near-actuator wheel slip limitation tech, the
BMW iX1 is perfectly equipped to provide assured progress over any terrain.
At the BMW Group’s winter testing centre in Arjeplog, the powertrain
and chassis systems of new models are put through a process of
exceptionally detailed fine-tuning. Snow-covered roads and areas of
frozen lakes prepared specially for these testing programmes present
the BMW Group’s development and testing engineers with the ideal
conditions in which to hone the interplay of the motors, electric
all-wheel-drive technology and suspension control systems at the
longitudinal and lateral dynamic limits. The ice surfaces, in
particular, provide the perfect, reproducible conditions in which to
explore in detail and optimise how the powertrain and chassis work
together. This intensive testing programme lays the foundations for
reliably secure, assured driving characteristics – with the sporting
edge drivers expect of a BMW – and a well resolved overall vehicle experience.
The BMW iX1 is the brand’s third SAV to feature a purely electric
drive system and will be added to the model range immediately after
the launch of the new BMW X1, which is scheduled to get underway in
autumn 2022. The fully electrically powered model is based on a
flexible vehicle architecture and will be produced on the same
assembly line as the combustion-engined and plug-in hybrid variants of
the compact SAV.
electric power consumption combined: 18.4 – 17.3 kWh/100 km in the
WLTP cycle; CO2 emissions: 0 g/km; electric range: 413 –
438 km [257 – 272 miles] in the WLTP cycle; figures in the NEDC: - ;
