Unveiled in June 2022, the BMW iX1 has now commenced production in Regensburg in a single flexible production line that also makes internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). With the beginning of the iX1’s production, all BMW German plants can now produce electric cars.
Announcing the company’s next milestone, BMW AG member of the Board of Management, Milan Nedeljković said, “We are delivering the goods. By 2024, at least one in three BMWs coming out of our Bavarian plants will be an electric car.”
Going against other small EVs like the Mercedes-Benz EQA and Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, the BMW iX1 is only available as the iX1 xDrive30. Powered by two electric motors, the iX1 has a maximum system output of 313 hp (metric) and 494 Nm. Power is sent to all wheels and the iX1 does the century sprint in 5.6 seconds.
Housing a 64.7-kWh battery pack, the BMW iX1 has a 440 km range (WLTP). This is more than the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric’s 418 km range (WLTP) from its 78-kWh battery and the Mercedes-Benz EQA 250’s 429 km range (WLTP) from its 66.5-kWh battery.
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As for charging, the BMW iX1 xDrive30 can handle 11-kW AC charging which charges the car from 0 to 100% in 6.5 hours. It is also capable of 130-kW DC Fast Charging (DCFC) that charges the car from 10% to 80% in 29 minutes.
The Regensburg plant’s flexible production line (producing EV, PHEV, and ICE cars) is not its only highlight. It is also the pilot for BMW’s “iFactory”, meaning the factory has been digitally mapped and has a digital twin to enable efficient planning of future plant structures and production facilities. The plant also employs artificial intelligence in the paint shop and for quality inspection.
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To minimise its carbon footprint, BMW has also ensured short distances between component and vehicle production. By the end of 2022, the BMW Group will have invested a total of more than 1.6 billion euros in electric component production at its German locations in Dingolfing, Leipzig and Regensburg. More than 3,300 employees currently work in BMW Group electric component production at those sites.
Currently in BMW’s all-electric lineup in Malaysia is the BMW iX3, the BMW i4, and the BMW iX. With the start of production of the BMW iX1, you can expect it to soon join the brand’s Malaysian electric vehicle (EV) lineup.
