BMW's New iX3 Just Drove 640 Miles on One Charge, and the Record Was Set in China

BMW China published the results of an internal extreme range test on August 19. One of the company's efficient dynamics engineers drove a Neue Klasse BMW iX3 50L from the Shenyang production base to the Beijing R&D center without plugging in once, covering 1,030.2 km (about 640 miles) and pulling in with 5% charge remaining, a new single-charge record for the brand.

To squeeze out every last mile, the team switched off the air conditioning, navigation and all infotainment systems for the entire run, making this a pure efficiency exercise.

This is the second time the long-wheelbase iX3 has been put through a public-road endurance run. Back in May, a test car looped Qinghai Lake from Xining and back at roughly 7,200 feet of altitude, dealing with rain, snow and high-altitude sun, and still covered 805 km (500 miles) with 2% left in the pack.

Average consumption on that run was just 12.6 kWh per 100 km, around 4.9 miles per kWh, the kind of figure most EVs only manage on downhill test loops.

The iX3 50L is built specifically for China, with the wheelbase stretched to 3,005 mm (118.3 inches) and a 108.7 kWh cylindrical-cell battery on an 800V architecture. Official CLTC range exceeds 900 km (559 miles), and peak 400 kW charging can add 265 miles in 10 minutes.

Pre-orders open August 21 at the Chengdu auto show, with first deliveries scheduled for the fourth quarter.

A dose of cold water is in order, though. This was an efficiency-focused run by a professional engineer, not a daily commute. The global iX3 50 xDrive is rated 500 miles on the generous WLTP cycle but only 434 miles under the stricter US EPA test, and that $61,500 version is the one Americans can actually buy.

The long-wheelbase record-setter is headed to China and Southeast Asia only. The longest-range BMW ever built wears Brilliance BMW badges from Shenyang, which says plenty about where the EV arms race is being fought these days.