Ahead of its global debut at the Munich motor show on September 8, BMW has detailed why its new iX3 electric SUV will be among the greenest EVs ever made.
As well as hinting that its next-generation battery-powered models will raise the bar for efficiency in the real-world, the German car-maker says an intelligent and responsible approach to the way the new BMW iX3 has been developed and then built means you won’t have to drive as far before you’re making a CO2 savings on the equivalent combustion-powered vehicle.
The new iX3 goes on-sale in Australia in 2026 and will line up against the brand new Mercedes-Benz GLC EV – also debuting in Munich – and the Cadillac Optiq that also arrive in Australia next year.
According to BMW if you buy a new BMW iX3 50 xDrive and charge using a mix of coal and renewable energy sources, European drivers will only have to cover 21,500km before they overtake a petrol SUV for carbon footprint.
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Always plug-in using 100 per cent renewables and that figure falls to just 17,500km.
Helping slash the amount of emissions in its build by 35 per is a supply chain that uses both secondary recycled materials and renewable energy sources.
BMW has also concentrated on ensuring onboard hardware is also more planet-friendly. For example, the Gen6 battery pack employs at least 50 per cent recycled cobalt, lithium and nickel.
This drops the amount of carbon used in its manufacture by around 42 per cent.
Other carbon savings include using 30 per cent recycled plastics reclaimed maritime plastics specifically – for the engine compartment.
Recycled aluminium accounts for 80 per cent of wheel carriers and swivel bearings, while the aluminium wheels use 70 per cent cast aluminium.
In total, BMW claims that one third of all materials used in the BMW iX3 50 xDrive are recycled, with fabric, adhesive and fleece material all made from recycled plastics.
BMW hasn’t released full details yet on the next generation iX3 but does say that on the road it delivers energy consumption that is 20 per cent lower than the model replaces.
In Australia the current iX3 claims an unimpressive 21.6kWh/100km consumption rate (ADR). Do the maths and the new model would sit at about 17kWh/100km, which still isn’t in Tesla Model Y territory.
Contributing to the new iX3’s superior efficiency are optimised aerodynamics, reduced rolling resistance tyres and lower on-board power consumption.
Built at BMW’s new plant in Debrecen, Hungary, the factory is the car-maker’s first manufacturing facility that uses no fossil fuels. A quarter of all energy needs are met by solar power.
Each BMW iX3 emits 0.1 tonne of CO2 to build. That’s a figure that is two-thirds below the production of other models made by the car-maker.
Like other car brands, BMW is committed to becoming net-zero by 2050. The Bavarian brand is on track to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 40 million tonnes by 2030 in comparison to 2019 figures.
