German luxury automaker BMW AG unveiled on Wednesday an electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) called the BMW iX, planned to go on sale in the United States in early 2022 to compete with Tesla Inc and other rivals.
BMW said the iX should have a driving range of 480 km. That’s less than the estimated driving range of the Tesla Model X Long Range, which is rated at 371 miles in the United States. BMW said drivers would be able to add 75 miles of range in ten minutes at a fast-charging station.
BMW said the iX would be comparable in size to the current BMW X5 SUV. The dashboard will be a sweeping, curved screen.
The electric iX will enter a fast-growing field of battery-powered SUVs aimed at affluent customers.
Tesla’s Model X already has competition from Chinese startup Nio, and General Motors Co’s Cadillac brand recently unveiled a mid-size electric SUV called the Lyriq, expected to launch in 2022. Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen AG have electric premium models in the works.
Ford Motor Co’s Mustang Mach-E is aiming for a slice of the performance enthusiast market that BMW defined decades ago. Ford said on Monday it intended to add a second model built on the foundations of the Mach-E.
The iX gets fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology – which encompasses the two electric motors, the power electronics, the charging technology and the high-voltage battery. The power unit developed by the BMW Group develop a maximum output of more than 500 hp. That will be enough to power the BMW iX from 0 to 100 kmph in under 5.0 seconds.
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At the same time, the vehicle’s clear aim is to post an exceptionally low combined electric power consumption figure for its segment of less than 21 kWh per 100 kilometres in the WLTP test cycle. A gross energy content of more than 100 kWh should enable the latest-generation high-voltage battery to record a range of over 600 kilometres in the WLTP cycle. That equates to more than 300 miles according to the EPA’s FTP-75 test procedure.
(WIth inputs from Reuters)
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