BMW iX First Drive Reviews | 11 Oct 2021

Show #1241

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Monday 11th October. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

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"The large, curved display screen that stretches across more than half of the dashboard. While it appears to be one long display, it's actually two distinct displays; a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch central touchscreen, side by side and covered by a single piece of glass. The display is bright and crystal clear and BMW's new iDrive 8 (the iX is the first BMW to get iDrive 8) is a dramatic improvement over previous versions" says Tom Moloughney for InsideEVs: "The iX doesn't drive like a 5,659 lbs SUV. Even though it's roughly 600 to 800-lbs heavier than an X5, depending on the configuration, the iX actually feels like it's lighter. Toss it around on the switchbacks and the iX will behave exemplarily. The iX benefits from having all the weight of the 111 kWh battery pack down below the passenger compartment, as well as a bespoke chassis.  BMW quotes the iX as going 0-60mph in a scant 4.4 seconds and that felt about right. But the performance doesn't stop there. Punch the accelerator at highway speeds and you still get pushed back into your seat. The dual-motor powertrain pushes out 516 hp and 564 lb-ft of torque and is more than enough to put a smile on the face of just about any potential iX buyer."

Tom concludes: "When DC fast charging, the iX can accept up to 200 kW and BMW promises a 10% to 80% DC fast charge time of 35 minutes. With a starting MSRP of $83,200 (plus $995 destination), the iX xDrive50 isn't cheap. However, when you put it up against its current competition: Tesla Model X $99,990 + $1,200 destination and Audi e-tron Premium Plus $74,800 + $1,095 destination, the iX looks pretty good."

Read more: https://insideevs.com/reviews/539719/bmw-ix-first-drive-review/

"Polestar, has set its sights on Porsche as its main competition moving forward. This bold claim was made by Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath during an interview with auto motorsport. For a company with only two models built so far, it’s quite a claim, but Ingenlath has big plans for the future of Polestar with models that will take the fight directly to Porsche." reports motor1.com: "This means competition with Tesla and BMW in the sports sedan and SUV space while targeting Porsche’s upcoming electric sports cars. Thomas Ingenlath affirms, “We are competing with Porsche for the best electrically powered premium sports car. The growing appetite and excitement for EVs mean that as long as Polestar can produce a strong product they will surely gain market share. Can they compete with Porsche to build an electric sports car"

Read more: https://www.motor1.com/news/539574/polestar-sports-car-porsche/

"Automakers and startups are investing billions of dollars in batteries in hopes that new or revamped chemistries, materials, and manufacturing processes will give them a leg up in a future where electric vehicles rule. Peter Rawlinson, the CEO of the electric-vehicle startup Lucid Motors, said this emphasis on the battery was wrong. An EV's range — and its customer appeal — he said, has little to do with how many kilowatts it hauls around." according to a subscriber piece in Business Insider: "The "Dream Edition" of Lucid's first model, the Lucid Air, offers an industry-trouncing range of 520 miles. That achievement, the CEO said, is "90% not the battery and 10% the battery. Rawlinson said offering that kind of range hinged on mastering every element of the car, including the motors, inverter, transmission, drive shafts, tires, aerodynamics, and cooling system."

"The battery pack is totally overrated, and most people don't get it," Rawlinson told Insider. "The car has the range, not the battery. And the car has the efficiency, not the battery."

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/lucid-ceo-industry-emphasis-on-batteries-is-overrated-2021-10

"Tesla Giga Berlin showed for the first time two new colors for the made-in-Germany Model Y. One special Crimson red body and one new Deep blue body were seen at the factory by visitors at Giga Fest—while the third, a Khaki-like color, was not seen, but seems will also be offered." says the Tesmanian blog: "Among other cool spottings, one of the interesting observations were two Model Y bodies painted in new colors. In addition to these two colors, Giga Berlin is also expected to offer vehicles painted in khaki or similar to this color."

"Tesla will launch its own brand of auto insurance in Texas this week, founder Elon Musk said during a Oct. 7 shareholders call addressing the company’s headquarters relocation from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas. In January the state insurance department approved a revised policy form submitted by Redpoint County Mutual Insurance Co. for a Tesla Insurance program for private passenger autos." says InsuranceJournal.com: "Redpoint will underwrite Tesla’s Texas insurance program, which will be distributed through the Tesla Insurance Services of Texas Inc.   Tesla has offered auto insurance in California for Tesla vehicles since 2019. Musk said Tesla is seeking regulatory approval in California to add real-time insurance."

Read more: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2021/10/11/636261.htm

"Tesla threw a party for the locals to celebrate the upcoming start of production at its Berlin Gigafactory. Kids of all ages dug the carnival rides, the giant Tesla coils shootin’ out sparks, and the obligatory pumpin’ sound-and-light show.

For techies, however, the star of the show was Tesla’s new structural battery pack. A cutaway version was on display, clearly showing how the new 4680 cells are arranged in the pack. Tesla offered visitors a mini-tour of the plant, and some of the many innovations making their debuts here were on display." says CHarles Morris at ChargedEVs.com: "The company is currently producing them on a pilot line in California, and several suppliers are reportedly working on scaling them to mass production. The new battery pack features a “cell-to-pack” design, with no battery modules, which should make it simpler and cheaper to produce. Its structural strength enables it to be joined with Tesla’s massive single-piece front and rear underbody castings, further reducing weight, complexity and cost."

Read more: https://chargedevs.com/newswire/tesla-shows-off-new-structural-battery-pack-with-4680-cells-at-giga-berlin/

"Part of the DTM Electric project, the car will be capable of reaching speeds in excess of 300 km/h thanks to the all-electric 1000 bhp powertrain and an infinitely variable torque distribution system developed by Schaeffler." reports motor1.com: "The exact details about the championship that will be built around the DTM Electric car are yet to be revealed, but the DTM said that it will allow competitors to adapt the chassis with their specific design characteristics, suggesting it would be open to manufacturers.  When a demo car was showcased for the first time last year, the DTM said each race would last 30 minutes, with the possibility of automated battery changes during the pitstops."

Read more: https://uk.motor1.com/news/539665/dtm-electric-1000bhp-prototype/

"How long before Australia follows in the footsteps of Scandinavia and we see the demise of the plugless hybrid (HEV or Hybrid Electric  Vehicle) – a market dominated by Toyota?" asks The Driven: "Norway and Sweden have long been the bellwethers of the electric car revolution and we have watched with avid fascination how BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) and PHEVs (Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) have increased their penetration in these countries. One phenomenon which may have flown under the radar is the slow death of the non-plug in hybrid (HEV), also known as “mild hybrids”. As avant garde as the Prius was 20 years ago, it is now quickly becoming passé. And from 2025, at least in Norway and from 2030 in many other countries, they will be banned."

Read more: https://thedriven.io/2021/10/11/the-dominoes-are-falling-fast-who-killed-the-hybrid-car/

"Online car dealership Carwow has pushed out a quick-turnaround campaign promoting electric vehicles (EV) off the back of the UK’s fuel shortages. Carwow, which saw a 59% surge in searches for EVs last week, designed the ‘Fuelled Off’ campaign in-house in an attempt to capitalize on increased demand." write The Drum: "For its campaign Carwow tapped the face of its YouTube channel, Mat Watson, to front the ads, which say, ‘Don’t be fuelish, Go EV.’ The ads have been placed on digital billboards across the country. ".

Read more: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/10/11/carwow-responds-petrol-crisis-dropping-electric-vehicle-ad-campaign

"As some petrol stations ran out of fuel and queues of cars lined up outside those that did have stocks, causing lengthy waits for motorists waiting to fill up, many drivers’ thoughts turned to the option of buying an electric vehicle." says The Guardian: "The classified ad website Autotrader says there was a 60% rise in searches for electric cars in the week after 24 September, when shortages at the pumps started. Industry figures show that the number of electric cars sold in the UK last month neared the figures for the whole of 2019.  In the past, many drivers have been turned off by the upfront cost, which is typically higher than petrol equivalents. But with the price of production falling and battery prices coming down, switching is becoming more accessible. So is now the time to go electric?"

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/oct/10/amid-the-petrol-crisis-is-it-time-to-switch-to-an-electric-car

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