The second generation BMW iX3, which is expected to launch in India sometime by 2027 has completed a 1,007 km drive from Hungary to Munich.
With this, the BMW iX3 50 xDrive has outperformed the German luxury car manufacturer’s claimed range in the real world by about 200 km. No wonder, the electric SUV showed more stamina than the automaker itself thought.
A BMW team drive the iX3 50 xDrive from Hungary to Munich. The SUV used smaller 20-inch wheels and skipped HVAC to save energy. When the team finished the drive reaching the destination, there was just 2% battery charge left, which was enough for another 19 km.
The iX3 outperformed BMW’s claim
The second generation BMW iX3 electric SUV was unveiled a few months back, with a projected range of 800 km on a single charge under the WLTP cycle. Now, the EV has quietly outperformed the automaker’s own estimates. The automaker has stated that to see how far the new SUV is capable of going, a small team from BMW decided to take the iX3 on a road trip. The journey started from Debrecen plant in Hungary, where the EV is built, and finished it in Munich, the automaker’s home base in Germany. Despite completing the 1,007.7 km journey, there was still 2% charge left, which could have propelled the EV to travel another 20 km.
BMW iX3 used a few tricks
To achieve this feat, the BMW iX3 used a few tricks. One of them was using the 20-inch wheels. This reduced the friction and consumed less energy as compared to using the 21-inch or 22-inch wheels. Also, the BMW team didn’t use the HVAC to save charge. The heating, cooling or radio was not used during the drive, to save as much energy as possible. Further, they avoided highways during the journey and took the smaller and low-speed roads, where the regenerative braking system of the EV worked effectively. As you know, electric vehicles offer less range when driven on highways and at high-speed, due to more charge consumption.