BMW iX3: Becoming the ultimate EV with a rational attitude

Among traditional luxury brands, BMW is the benchmark in the field of control and is also the leader in the field of electrification.

As early as 2011, they established the new energy sub-brand "BMW i" and released the i3 and i8. Even today, the design concepts of these two cars are still quite advanced.

In 2015, BMW launched its first PHEV sedan, the 530Le. Since its domestic launch, the car has been in short supply for a long time. Last year, the BMW 530Le also became the world’s best-selling PHEV.

From January to October this year, BMW sold 116,963 new energy vehicles worldwide. Although there is still a gap compared with Tesla, in the high-end new energy vehicles with more than 400,000 yuan In the field of automobiles, BMW is the real number one - Tesla's sales are mainly supported by the entry-level model Model 3, and its main sales model is priced below 300,000.

In the past 10 years, BMW has achieved great success in the field of new energy and accumulated valuable technology and experience.

Today, the new energy market has entered a new stage of competition. Promoted by policies and capital, the entire industry is accelerating its transformation to pure electric vehicles. Stimulated by new products and new technologies, consumers' understanding and demand for EVs have undergone tremendous changes.

Facing the new market environment, BMW has formulated a new electrification strategy. The iX3 launched at this year’s Guangzhou Auto Show is the first product of the new strategy. This is the second pure electric vehicle officially launched by the BMW brand after the BMW i3. It erases the experimental color of the former and presents a different extreme with a more rational and accurate attitude.

Do pure electric vehicles have to be built using a dedicated platform?

The BMW iX3 is a medium-sized pure electric SUV. It and the BMW X3 are both built on BMW's new generation CLAR platform. Some people must have raised questions about this: Why does BMW iX3 not use a pure electric exclusive platform?

Concerning the issue of platforms, we are all more or less led astray by some misconceptions. The industry has long been filled with the argument that pure electric exclusive platforms are a major trend in EV development and should be vigorously promoted. Those "oil-to-electric" models built on non-exclusive platforms are synonymous with backwardness and will be eliminated.

It is undeniable that pure electric exclusive platforms do have many advantages, but to define all EVs on non-pure electric platforms as "backward", deny them all, and even advocate their elimination is to mess up the rhythm. .

Pure electric platforms have significant advantages in space utilization, but the high R&D costs cannot be ignored.

In order to seek conceptual victory, some new power car companies will publicize the various shortcomings of non-pure electric platform EVs. After all, they only have pure electric vehicles in their product lines, and their technical reserves are only pure electric vehicles. One kind of platform, due to competitive pressure, they will maliciously belittle other technical routes. In essence, this is an act of slander.

For most traditional car companies, platform technology has developed to a quite mature stage. The technical route of pure electric vehicles is not only a pure electric exclusive platform, but also compatible with both fuel vehicles and electrified models. Petroleum-electric platforms can also create excellent EVs. We must recognize the fact that the comprehensive product strength of a car depends more on the quality of the platform rather than the category of the platform.

Take the CLAR used in BMW iX3 as an example. It has technical features such as lightweight and high rigidity, and is a representative work of platform technology in the current automotive industry. Moreover, this platform also has extremely high compatibility and can simultaneously support the development of pure fuel-powered vehicles (gasoline and diesel), plug-in hybrid vehicles, and pure electric vehicles.

At the beginning of the development of the BMW CLAR platform, the compatibility of multiple power sources was fully considered. In addition to iX3, BMW will also launch a number of pure electric vehicles on this platform, such as the BMW i4, which will be launched next year.

This means that iX3 and X3 are two native models developed under the same platform, and there is no argument that one "modified" the other. The technical strength of the CLAR platform has been fully demonstrated on the X3. The iX3, built on the same platform, can incorporate more leading electrification technologies under already excellent technical conditions, thereby becoming a more mature and advanced EV.

Leading technology, ultimate balance

Real users are too lazy to care about the platform, and the actual experience is the most important.

Luxury pure electric vehicles are a kind of consumption upgrade model, and users need the ultimate product performance. BMW, which has rich experience in the field of electrification, knows exactly what consumers need and knows how to present the true extreme.

As for the core three-electric system, BMW iX3 adopts BMW’s latest fifth-generation eDrive electric drive system, paired with a battery pack with a net capacity of 74kWh, and a cruising range of up to 500km under NEDC standards. As can be seen from the table below, the battery capacity of the BMW iX3 is the smallest among the three cars, but under the same test conditions, its battery life is the longest and its power consumption per 100 kilometers is also the lowest.

During the test drive, we drove about 80 kilometers in normal driving style (60% urban, 40% highway), and the measured power consumption per 100 kilometers was 15.5kWh/100km, which is higher than the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s The data is even lower!

Such excellent energy efficiency performance is inseparable from the technological innovation of BMW’s fifth-generation eDrive electric drive system.

This system integrates the motor, inverter and transmission. While achieving miniaturization and lightweight, the power density is also increased by about 30% compared with the previous generation, and the maximum energy efficiency reaches 93%. It can output a maximum power of 210kW and a peak torque of 400Nm.

In addition, the BMW iX3 uses an induction excitation motor. Compared with common permanent magnet synchronous motors, the induction excitation motor has stronger explosive power and better torque sustainability, even in high-speed and high-speed applications. There will be no obvious power attenuation, making it more suitable for high-performance EVs. Tesla Model S and Model X use this type of motor.

The fifth-generation eDrive electric drive system adopts a highly integrated design, making the entire system smaller, lighter, and more efficient.

Induction motors rely on the excitation effect of current to generate a magnetic field. They are not prone to demagnetization and have faster and more durable power output.

With the powerful output of the motor, the BMW iX3? 0-100km/h acceleration time is only 6.8 seconds, which is the same as the BMW X3? high-power version (xDrive30i). Unlike those EVs that only pursue performance, BMW iX3 can give users a richer experience in terms of power output quality: in SPORT mode, it can give you a sufficiently exciting acceleration pleasure, and when switched to ECO?PRO mode, it can Let you enjoy a silky smooth and extremely quiet driving experience.

The BMW iX3 can achieve both explosive power and smoothness, which is much more advanced than those EVs that blindly pursue speed.

BMW is very precise about the positioning of iX3. What they want to build is a luxury pure electric SUV that can cope with a variety of usage scenarios, rather than a speed machine just for fun. In the iX3's performance weight, battery life and energy efficiency are ranked before power. Therefore, among the high-end pure electric SUVs, the BMW iX3's extreme acceleration performance is not the best, but it is very good at creating a driving experience. .

It continues all the advantages of BMW in terms of handling. In terms of steering precision, suspension responsiveness, corner tracking, etc., iX3 can give the driver full confidence. Due to the placement of the battery pack at the bottom of the car body, the vehicle's center of gravity is lower and its stability becomes better. With the re-adjusted shock absorption system, the vehicle's ride comfort is even better than that of the BMW X3 of the same platform.

iX3 is an authentic BMW. It has all the excellent genes of BMW, and when paired with a more advanced electric drive system, it can show a higher level of driving quality.

It can be seen from the dynamic performance that BMW has indeed put sufficient thought into the process of building iX3.

The combination of the CLAR platform and the fifth-generation eDrive electric drive system has a very high technical margin, enough to make the iX3 an EV with outstanding individual performance indicators. However, BMW did not do this. They will use practical We put performance and balance first to make iX3 an EV that is both easy to drive and easy to use. This wise and foolish approach further reflects BMW's maturity in the field of electrification.

Full of surprising intelligent technologies

From platform architecture to electric drive system, from performance parameters to actual performance, iX3 can well reflect BMW's strength in the pure electric field.

However, this era requires more than that. Intelligent technology with smart cars and smart driving as the core has gradually become a new point of competition.

In this regard, BMW iX3 not only did not disappoint us, but also brought many surprises.

It is equipped with BMW’s latest iDrive? 7.0 intelligent interactive system, which is optimized for Chinese users. In addition to wireless Carplay and Carlife functions, it also integrates QQ Music, Himalaya, Xigua Video and other more popular Popular local third-party applications.

The BMW iX3’s car unit is not only rich in functions, but also can be upgraded OTA.

Whether the vehicle-machine system is easy to use or not, the application is only the foundation, and the efficiency of human-computer interaction is the key.

BMW has equipped iX3 with a dual voice assistant system, which can control navigation, music, and car windows. It can also realize online search, control smart home, and set reminders. In terms of semantic recognition rate and response speed, this voice control system has made great progress compared with previous BMW models. Even if commands are given at a faster speaking speed, the system can quickly recognize them.

A set of reliable voice interaction functions can not only improve the convenience of use, but also allow the driver to focus more on driving, thus improving safety.

What’s even more surprising is the intelligent driving aspect.

The BMW iX3 is equipped with the autonomous driving assistance system Pro that can reach the L2 level. This system can achieve many functions. The following two mainly impressed me.

The first is the "Congestion Assist" function. When the vehicle speed is lower than 60km/h, the system can allow the driver to release his hands on the steering wheel and let the vehicle automatically follow the vehicle in front. During the process of following a car, the system controls the vehicle speed quite naturally, without sudden starts and stops. Whether on a straight road or in a curve, the system can keep the vehicle driving stably in the center of the lane at all times.

If you let go of your hands on the steering wheel for too long, and the driver's attention monitoring system detects that the driver's eyes are not focused on the road ahead, the vehicle will trigger a hands-off warning. At this time, you only need to gently lift your hands. Place it anywhere on the steering wheel to disarm the warning.

The second is the "automatic lane change" function. When the vehicle speed exceeds 70km/h, just turn on the turn signal, and the vehicle will determine the condition of the target lane and automatically change lanes. During the actual experience, this function has a high degree of "anthropomorphism". The system can recognize most situations where you think it is safe to change lanes. The entire lane changing process is very fast and natural, just like an old man. The driver is helping you drive.

These two functions are actually not black technology. Many newly launched models are equipped with them, but most of them are just to solve the problem of having and not having them, and to make the actual experience better like the BMW iX3 , and there are very few that users can use with confidence. It seems that it does make sense for BMW's system to achieve a "VERY GOOD" rating in the E-NCAP 2020 driving assistance test.

In addition to pure electric vehicles, BMW’s autonomous driving assistance system Pro can also be installed on a variety of newly launched fuel vehicles and hybrid vehicles. The advantages of the oil and electricity application platform are once again reflected.

Summary:

In the official caliber, the full name of BMW iX3 is "Innovative Pure Electric BMW iX3". From the literal meaning, "innovation" refers to BMW's technological advancement. innovation. For example, the fifth-generation eDrive electric drive system, automatic driving assistance system Pro, etc., these new technologies can indeed allow the BMW iX3 to have a longer cruising range, more delicate driving quality, and more practical intelligent functions than competing products.

When I gained a deeper understanding of iX3, I also discovered another meaning of "innovation" - innovation in product ideas.

The BMW iX3 does not adopt a so-called pure electric exclusive platform just to keep up with fashion. It is a reliable gasoline-electric exclusive platform, giving it a more mature technical foundation and better control of costs - it The price (469,900-509,900) has entered the range of fuel vehicles of the same class (BMW X3 sells for 389,800-479,800). Among the three newly launched EV products of "BBA", the price of iX3 is also the most affordable. .

All innovations in BMW iX3 are centered around the actual needs of users and exist to provide users with a better practical experience.

In today's pure electric market, too many car companies are lost in various "pseudo-innovations" and "pseudo-concepts". In comparison, BMW's reason and persistence are particularly precious.

Text?|?Qingzhu

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.