BMW is claiming insane efficiency for their new and very heavy iX3 SUV

You’d think German car companies wouldn’t be dare to be shouting efficiency numbers for their new electric cars from the rooftops. I mean, their claims aren’t as bad as the French, but looking at the history of some brands, I’d rather focus on other cool stuff about my upcoming cars.

But BMW wouldn’t be BMW if it wouldn’t do things their own way. That means today I, and probably you too, got bombarded with efficiency numbers that seem impossible for electric SUV’s the size and weight of a BMW X3. 15 kWh per 100 km and a range of 800 km according to the WLTP standard (which probably means around 700 in reality).

That efficiency number is almost in line or even lower than that of a Tesla Model Y. But that car weighs about 200-300 kgs less than what the new iX3 is projected to weigh (around 2100-2200 kgs). So more weight and more efficiency? That doesn’t make sense, right?

But don’t take my word for it. Just listen to Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW, who’s being very positive in a very German way in an interview with Bloomberg. He’s calling the new iX3 the absolute benchmark of the industry. And that is not all, he’s saying that this is the BMW that will prove that the German brand is able to build a superior electric cars to which the rest of the market has to answer.

To be fair, what Zipse is also saying here is that BMW hasn’t been able to keep up with the competition. And I have to admit that is true. I’ve driven most of the electric BMW’s out there and while they’re great drivers cars, they are simply not the best out there when it comes to the electric drive train they’re equipped with. Also not the worst. That trophy goes to the French.

But still, it’s impressive to see BMW claim so much improvements by simply switching to an 800 Volt architecture, which the Neue Klasse pretty much is. The claimed stats confirm pretty much what you’d expect when switching from 400 Volt to 800 Volt: 40 percent less energy losses and 10 percent reduction in weight. That are generally advantages of the lighter hardware that can be used.

Also the 400 kW fast charging isn’t really that new and kind of comes for free with the switch. But it that doesn’t mean the new iX3 can’t be impressive in this area. It remains to be seen how long the new EV can hold onto that peak charging speed. And no, the claimed 350 kilometers charged in 10 minutes doesn’t say much at all.

Good or bad, the fact that Zipse and his people are coming out swinging almost a month before the new iX3 will be revealed, gives me confidence this car will actually be good. Probably 80 percent as good as claimed, but still very good.

I just don’t get the feeling that BMW is overdoing it. As mentioned the switch to 800 Volt architecture backs up most of the claims. The rest could be down to aerodynamics, software and tires. You have to admit we’ve come a long way on those too. And a 10 billion dollar investment should also tell you that there is more here than just a new 800 Volt platform.

And I also get the idea that BMW has chosen to pick some believable numbers. They’re not French, so overdoing it and claiming 10 kWh per 100 km for a SUV does probably sound a bit too unreasonable, even to a very, very positive Zipse.

But you have to keep in mind that these are just claims. And they are going to be tested. I hope to get behind the wheel of a Neue Klasse very soon, so I can tell you my experiences. And more importantly, tell you about the actual range and charging speeds in the real world.

I’m driving to Berlin next month in the new and improved BMW iX, so keep your eyes out for that. And I’ll also be at the IAA BMW-event in Munich shortly after that. I’m going to be all touchy feely with the iX3 Neue Klasse and hopefully get to ask some engineers some weird questions. Probably mostly about German beer.

In other news

If you’re an American and have a Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck, you could potentially do about 1700 kilometers on a single charge of the 120 kWh battery pack. A team of engineers of the company took the truck, modified it slightly and drove 1704,6 kilometers, to be precise. But it took them about 40 hours to get to that range, because the truck was limited to a maximum speed of 40 kilometers an hour. So yeah, not really real world driving conditions…

There seems to be one thing you agree on with Donald Trump: you both don’t want that pink, woke Jaguar. The Orange President finally dared to say he doesn’t like the car after the CEO of the brand resigned. It’s a bit like calling someone names from a safe distance.

It seems nobody wants a Tesla anymore. At least not in Europe. Sales continue to plummet. According to Bloomberg Tesla only managed to shift around 50 percent of the cars in july of this year compared to the amount it did a year ago. Being friends with Trump did more harm than good. Does that mean Jaguar is in for a ride?

People do still want BMW’s. Especially the Special Editions. They keep selling out before they hit the market.