China Honors BMW's Gen6 Battery, the Pack Behind the iX3's 434-Mile Range
The cylindrical-cell pack that gives the new iX3 its 434-mile EPA rating was recognized in China a day before the SUV's official US launch.
The battery under BMW's new iX3 has just been recognized in the market that takes battery engineering more seriously than any other. BMW's sixth-generation high-voltage pack received a technology award at the World New Energy Vehicle Congress in China, and BMW says it was the only automaker from outside China to win one of the event's technology honors this year.
The timing works in BMW's favor. The iX3 50 xDrive is the first Neue Klasse model and the first car built on the Gen6 battery, and its official US sales launch is September 25.
The congress ran September 22–24 in Haikou, on China's Hainan Island. Judges singled out the battery system built around BMW's new cylindrical cells with a high-nickel cathode. BMW says this is the fifth straight year, and the sixth time overall, that the congress has recognized it for technology.
What changed with Gen6
The biggest change is the cell format. BMW replaced the prismatic cells of its fifth-generation packs with round cells 46 mm in diameter, made in two heights: 95 mm and 120 mm. The cathode has more nickel and less cobalt, and the anode has more silicon. Together those changes raise volumetric energy density by more than 20 percent over Gen5, BMW said when it first detailed the cells in 2022. At that time it targeted up to 30 percent more range and up to 30 percent faster charging.
The cells are installed directly in the pack, with no modules in between, so more energy fits into the same floor space. Each cell has a steel casing with built-in safety mechanisms. The system runs at 800 volts and supports bidirectional charging.
Mounted on the pack is the Energy Master, a controller whose hardware and software BMW developed in-house. It distributes power to the motors and the rest of the car's electrical system, and it lets the car charge at both 400- and 800-volt stations. BMW says the architecture can also take other cell chemistries in the future, and that the jump from Gen5 to Gen6 produced patent filings on more than 500 innovations.
What it means for US buyers
For American buyers, the results show up on the window sticker. The 2027 iX3 50 xDrive starts at $61,500 plus $1,350 destination. Its EPA rating is up to 434 miles on 20-inch wheels with summer tires, or 383 miles on the standard all-seasons. It makes 463 hp and can DC fast-charge at up to 400 kW, going from 10 to 80 percent in 21 minutes.
That makes the electric iX3 $5,000 cheaper than the gas-powered X3 M50 xDrive.
Demand looks strong. BMW has logged 100,000 iX3 orders in Europe, and its plant in Debrecen, Hungary, now runs three shifts, electrive reports. Some US dealers were reportedly allowed to start deliveries ahead of the official date; BMW hasn't confirmed that publicly. In China, a locally built long-wheelbase iX3 went on sale in August.
The iX3 is only the start. BMW plans to phase Gen6 technology into its entire electric lineup. The next model in the US is the i3 sedan, which BMW estimates will reach up to 440 miles of range.
