- BMW demonstrates the charging power of the new iX3 in a social media video.
- The vehicle peaks at 403 kW while charging, which is even higher than its claimed peak of 400 kW.
- The iX3 debuts later this year with a native NACS plug in the United States.
With China leading the way in EV charging, the West has some catching up to do. But now BMW is one manufacturer whose next-generation EVs will charge quicker than ever, with speeds of up to 400 kilowatts.
In a recent video from the manufacturer, a camouflaged prototype for the upcoming iX3 can be seen charging even more quickly, showing a peak of 402 kW.
The iX3 is the first in BMW’s line of Neue Klasse electric models, which improve upon the manufacturer’s current EVs in every single way. They are built on an 800-volt platform that is the key to achieving higher charging speeds, but they also feature new generations of motors and batteries.
With 400-kW charging, BMW says the iX3 can add 217 miles (350 km) of WLTP range in just 10 minutes. That’s well over twice the range that the manufacturer’s current CLAR platform-based EVs can muster, and the 10% to 80% dash takes 20 minutes. The iX3 can deliver up to 497 miles (800 km) of WLTP range, which is around 62 miles (100 km) more than the current iX, which is a bigger vehicle with a bigger battery than the iX3.
The Euro-spec prototype in the video is charged through a CCS2 port, but it’s getting a native NACS port for North America. The iX3 for America won’t come from BMW’s new factory in Hungary—that only supplies Europe—but from the San Luis Potosi factory in Mexico.
BMW plans to make the electric counterparts of the bigger X5 and X7 in its South Carolina facility. After the iX3 debuts later this year, it will be followed by the iX5 next year and the iX7 in 2027.
We were blown away by how good a BMW iX3 prototype felt during a recent drive. It handles great and it feels very precise on the road. InsideEVs contributor Tim Stevens actually watched the iX3 charging and peaking at 403 kW, and he noted that over a 10-minute charging session, the prototype averaged 318 kW, which is more than the peak of BMW’s current crop of EVs and substantially better than their average.
In the text accompanying the short charging video, BMW stressed that even though the iX3 runs at 800 volts, it is “of course, staying compatible with 400V stations.”
That ‘of course’ may be a nod to the recent news that another new 800-volt EV, the Mercedes-Benz CLA, would not be compatible with 400-volt chargers. Mercedes has since announced that it’s changing things so that it won’t be the case.