Article Summary
- The Neue Klasse iX3 followed BMW employee and cyclist Mario Grünberger throughout the 560-kilometer Race Around Austria Challenge.
- Serving as a support vehicle, the iX3 50 xDrive carried five of Grünberger's friends during the endurance test.
- The electric SUV covered the entire route without recharging, despite tackling 6,500 meters (21,325 feet) of elevation gain.
Long-distance hauling used to be a job for diesel-powered vehicles, but electric vehicles are catching up. While EVs are still far from achieving the mileage numbers of an oil-burner out on the open road, BMW wants to help alleviate some of the range anxiety you might still have. It has already put the new iX3 through multiple endurance tests, and the latest one is perhaps the strangest.
The second-generation electric crossover in 50 xDrive guise served as a support vehicle for a BMW employee from the Steyr plant who took part in the Race Around Austria Challenge. Cyclist Mario Grünberger entered the race for the fourth time and was accompanied throughout the entire course by an iX3 with five of his friends inside.
The route covered 560 kilometers (348 miles) along the borders of Upper Austria and included roughly 6,500 meters (21,325 feet) of elevation gain. Throughout the race, the iX3 provided Grünberger with supplies and helped with navigation while keeping the road ahead illuminated after sunset. After 19 hours and 47 minutes, the BMW employee and his team crossed the finish line.
Plenty Of Battery Juice Left
At the end of the race, the battery still had enough energy for more than 100 kilometers (62 miles). That means that under the same driving conditions, the iX3 could have covered nearly 700 kilometers (434 miles) on a single charge. While that number is far off the 805-kilometer WLTP rating, it represents a real-world range.
In fact, BMW says the electric crossover carried a payload of around 400 kilograms (882 pounds), which inevitably hurt efficiency. If it had been just the driver with no supplies inside, the iX3 would have been much lighter, meaning the estimated remaining range would have been even higher.
As we talked about earlier this week, the biggest range we’ve seen so far from the iX3 is 1,030 kilometers (640 miles). China’s long-wheelbase version traveled from BMW’s Shenyang factory to the R&D center in Beijing on a single charge, beating the official CLTC rating by more than 100 kilometers.
The ride in Austria wasn’t just about proving the iX3’s endurance. Grünberger also used the event to raise money for a good cause, with €1 donated for every kilometer completed. That translates to €560 for BMW Group Werk Steyr’s “Aus Freude am Menschen” (“For the Joy of Humanity”) employee association, which supports employees and their families facing difficult circumstances.
