The 2026 BMW iX gets a big jump forward compared to last year’s model. That includes the addition of the iX xDrive45, which takes the place of the entry-level iX xDrive40 globally and is a brand-new model for the United States. What might have got missed in some of the initial breaking news is that the xDrive40 also makes a pretty impressive leap forward in one of the most important areas of EV ownership: charge curve.
The iX xDrive45 Charge Curve Compared to iX xDrive40
One look at the two charging graphs and it’s obvious there’s two different stories being told. The iX xDrive40 shoots up to its max charging power – 150 kW – at around 15 percent state of charge, then starts to take incremental steps down. The charge curve almost takes literal steps down, roughly plateauing in segments corresponding with a 10 percent state of charge.
The iX xDrive45, on the other hand, looks a little more like what you might expect. Peak charging power is higher, at 175 kW. As state of charge rises, the speed trends slower, with a brief plateau around 60 percent state of charge. Obviously, the bigger news is higher peak charging speed. That transfers across the charging range, though, too. Even at 65 percent or so, the xDrive45 is still charging with more power than the xDrive40 is.
We already know the new iX makes more power than the old one, so we’ll save expanding on that. But maybe even more importantly, the base level iX makes significant changes to the amount of energy recuperated during normal driving. Whereas the first gen SUV offer max energy recuperation of 164 kW, the new one is capable of 195 kW. BMW also says the energy recovery is dictated by traffic situation, navigation data, and driver assistance systems while in adaptive mode (standard). But, drivers can change and tweak as needed to recuperate aggressively or more passively regardless of what’s going on around them.
You might be curious if the xDrive60 (replacing the xDrive50) or M70 (replacing the M60) versions of the iX have similar changes in their charge curves. They don’t; they both retain their old peak charging kW, although the curve has been similarly streamlined. In any case, the BMW iX xDrive45 seems like a pretty great way to get into an iX, and we’re glad it’s being introduced Stateside.
