Electric cars and cold weather driving are not always the perfect match. So naturally, customers who live in cold climates are constantly worried about the overall effect on the electric driving range. YouTube and Tesla owner Bjørn Nyland got behind the wheel of the new 2022 BMW iX xDrive50. Bjørn went through a series of tests, starting with the high-speed test followed by “normal” highway and city driving.
Tire choice matters when we talk about efficiency and range in electric cars, so he points out immediately that the iX was riding on Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV in 21 inches all-around. The BMW iX xDrive50 is equipped with with a 111.5 kWh battery (105.2 kWh net usable). This is a standard 400V battery system. In the United States, the BMW iX xDrive50 is rated at 305 miles (491 km) with 21″ wheels (255/50R21 109H XL), 324 miles (521 km) with 20″ wheels (235/60R20 108H XL) and 315 miles (507 km) with 22″ wheels (275/40R22 107Y).
BMW iX – Test Results Winter Driving
The test results are quite impressive and in-line with the expectations. The iX 50 returned 304 miles (489 km) at 55 mph (90 km/h) and 227 miles (365 km) at 75 mph (120 km/h). As you’d expect, the range does take a bit when the car consumers more power, so high speeds are never ideal for electric cars when it comes to efficiency and range. To put things in perspective, the Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic – which has a similar battery capacity – returned 317 miles (511 km) at 55 mph (90 km/h) and 251 miles (404 km) at 75 mph (120 km/h). The EQS was riding on Nokian R3 21 inch tires.
BMW i4 – Test Results Winter Driving
Of course, there are a lot of variables that determine the outcome, from the outside temperate at the time of testing to the driving route. Bjørn also recently tested the BMW i4. The car had the larger 19-inch wheels with 245/40 front and 255/40 rear Pirelli P Zero winter tires. uring the first part of his trip, the car was showing a worrying consumption of 304 Wh/km. Bear in mind the initial test was done at an average speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) while the latter was completed at 90 km/h (56 mph).
The high-speed run with the i4 M50 ended with an average consumption of 279 Wh/km after covering 142.4 kilometers (88. miles). In these conditions, Bjørn Nyland estimates he could’ve been able to do 285 kilometers (177 miles) on a full charge. He then redid the test at the lower speed when the consumption dropped to 207 Wh/km. It resulted in an estimated maximum range of 385 km (239 miles).
Here is the range review of the BMW iX xDrive50:
