derBayerische November/December 2023 - 21

B M W i X M 6 0
■ (Clockwise from Above) Never could learn how to change background on instrument panel.
iX's Head Up display. Why you won't get a picture of the iX's motor: Not ALLOWED to open hood.
The large cube-like area will easily accommodate
the standard " stuff " for a family vacation.
But how does it drive?
Hopefully, many of you have taken advantage
of the recent BMW Ultimate Driving
Experience that features the iX. The front and rear
motors combine to produce 610 horsepower and
811-foot pounds of torque. The resulting instant
acceleration and braking, featured in the Ultimate
Driving Experience, gives the iX an " M " -like
driving experience on the open roads. Whether
on the freeways or the backroads, the " driving by
wire " experience (using the throttle to position
the vehicle for the deride maneuvers) produces
thrills that you cannot imagine. Seemingly paradoxical,
the iX is equipped with M-brakes. Being
an EV, braking recharges the battery. Therefore,
spirited driving does not significantly reduce the
vehicle range. In fact, in several instances we
found it to have almost no impact on range.
It's quite gratifying to see the commercial
transition of these once-exotic materials. During
the mid-1980's, I worked with carbon-carbon,
graphite epoxy, and resin transfer molded composite
materials for both aerospace auto racing
applications. Having worked with the Viper team
on the production vehicle application of these
exotic materials, as well as experimenting with
Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal technology,
not only made me appreciate the potential of
these materials, but the engineering needed to
realize that potential.
So, what's the issue?
November I December
Simply speaking - charging. Much to our
surprise, we again found the public Level 2/3
and Level 1 charging stations to be unreliable.
And only in the Silicon Valley and (ironically)
San Francisco areas were these chargers located
in places that one would consider safe.
Because of the unreliable charging network and
the natural range anxiety, we took advantage of
every working fast charger that we encountered.
Because of the larger battery pack, the
charging times for the iX were longer than previously
experienced. Our average charging
time was 60 minutes, with one charge (from
47% to 100%) taking 85 minutes.
And not surprisingly, the charging price
was inconsistent. As with home usage,
charging costs more during peak hours. This is
why we frequently found EVs parked at working
public charging stations during the evening and
the night hours.
Our way-too-short time with the delightful
iX did not change our perception of EVs. Stand
alone, they are delightful. And it should be no
wonder that having a home charger is a must.
However, the more frequent horror stories of the
unreliable public charging systems and
reduced ranges due to hot and cold weather,
will surely curb mass appeal. Also, the politicians
have yet to deal with the realities of our
power grid and its dependence on fossil fuels to
generate that electricity.
When one couples these factors with
the inconvenient truth that, for the foreseeable
future, only Tesla produces
profitable EVs that are supported by an
outstanding and exclusive public charging
network, it makes one wonder when all the other
OEMs will be making hard business decisions
concerning the future of their EV offerings.
The bottom line is that owning a BMW EV
requires you to change your driving habits and
have the funds to install a home fast charger
and live with increased electric bills. But seeing
as how Tesla is now the best-selling luxury
brand in the U.S. - and seemingly the official
vehicle of Silicon Valley - it's possible.
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derBayerische November/December 2023

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