Electric cars and cold weather don’t always play nice. It’s common knowledge that outside temperatures affect batteries in electric cars. In the winter months when temperatures fall in the freezing range, electric car batteries take a major hit. There are several steps you can take in order to prolong the battery charge, like, for example, pre-conditioning your car. But despite those normal shortcomings, electric vehicles handle themselves just like any other car in winter.

To prove that, BMW recently took a BMW iX into the Alps and had some fun with the electric crossover in snow. The car is equipped with a proper set of winter tires, so traction doesn’t seem to be an issue. The images below show the iX taking on some ski slopes before drifting through the snow banks. There aren’t any winter tests yet, but in proper conditions, the BMW iX xDrive50 has an EPA rating of 324 miles with 20-inch wheels, 305-miles with 21-inch wheels and 315 miles with 22-inch wheels. The MSRP starts at 83,200 plus $995 Destination and the U.S. market launch is expected in Q1 of 2022.

There is another iX model which is not coming to the United States. For now. The BMW iX xDrive40 uses a smaller battery compared to the iX 50i: 76.6 kWh battery (71.0 kWh net usable) vs. 111.5 kWh. The WLTP range rating is around 260 miles (418 km). There is another iX model – the M60 – which will be unveiled next week. The 600 horsepower electric crossover will sit at the top of the BMW electric lineup and will be sold in the U.S. as well.

Another interesting tidbit is the curb weight of the middle iX 50 model: 5,659 lbs. Quite heavy, but as seen below, still fun to toss around in the snow. Another important metric in the life of a crossover/SUV is the payload. And in the case of the iX xDrive50, BMW published a figure of 1,054 lbs. Just in case you need to bring some extra cargo with you.

The BMW iX xDrive50 has two electric motors split among the two axles producing 70 kW (500 horsepower). The BMW iX xDrive50 is also said to have a 0-60 mph time of under five seconds. Plugging the BMW iX xDrive50 into a fast-charging station with 10 percent charge for example, enables its range to be increased by up to 90 miles in just ten minutes at 195 kW. Using the same fast charger, it would take less than 40 minutes to increase the high-voltage battery’s state of charge from 10 to 80 percent.

Let’s take a look at these stunning images: