Electric BMW X3 powertrain details revealed

- Will get a range of around 440 kilometres

- Production to commence in 2020

BMW has officially revealed additional details of the upcoming electric X3. Christened as the iX3, the SUV would be the first pure electric vehicle to roll out for the newly-formed iNext electric sub-brand. When the production commences next year, the iX3 will be powered by the fifth generation of BMW’s eDrive powertrain which will also do duty in the upcoming i4 sedan and iNext SUV.

This new-gen powertrain will make use of a 74kWh battery pack. With the help of new-age technologies, the ratio between motor output and weight of the drive system is improved by around 30 per cent over the previous generation. The maximum output of the electric motor is 210kw (or 286 horsepower) and the torque is rated at 400Nm. The output of the motor is transferred to rear wheels only. Under the WLTP cycle, the iX3 claims to have a range of ‘more than 440 kilometres’ and low power consumption of just 20kWh/100 kilometres.

BMW says that the related advantage of the iX3 is more than 30 per cent compared a standard X3 sDrive 20d when average European power supply during the car’s usage phase. And if the vehicle is charged with green electricity the advantage is around 60 per cent. Apart from that, under the Plug&Play system on the BMW’s batteries, the high voltage battery of the iX3 gets a second life as a stationary battery pack for the period following the first long life in the car.

The BMW iX3 will be produced for the world by the joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive in Shenyang, China. We do expect the iX3 to make its way to the Indian market as well but that will happen only after it goes on sale in international markets. It will rival the likes of Mercedes-Benz EQC, Audi e-tron and Jaguar iPace in the growing electric-SUV segment.