Most people do not expect electric cars to meet their official area numbers, let alone surpass. WLTP numbers – like the EPA reviews in the USA – are often considered optimistic. However, a recently published test in Norway tells a different story. The Norwegian automotive association (NAF) recently carried out its annual EL Prix comparison and sent 27 electric vehicles on a long-distance journey through the country to see how they cut off under real conditions. Among them was the BMW IX XDrive60 with an official WLTP range of 668 kilometers in the tested specification.
The result? The IX did it 691 kilometers (429 miles) – 23 kilometers more than the WLTP figure. This is an improvement of 3.4 percent and a rare case in which an EV continues to advertise without special preparation or ideal conditions. Why is WLTP different from the EPA? The WLTP is a labor-based test that estimates the EV area using a fixed driving cycle on a dynamometer. It does not make real factors such as hills, weather, traffic or driving style, which is why the actual range often differs.
Not just a one -off
The IX was not alone. Several EVs in the test exceeded their WLTP area, whereby the Tesla model Y was running over its official number of 11.3 percent. The Y model Y had an area of 652 km. Chinese models such as the Zeekr 007 (593 km), BYD Tang (572 km) and MG S5 (492 km) also continued than claimed and showed how far the EV efficiency has come. However, not all results were positive. The clear air fell back by 13.7 percent, one of the larger flours in the group.
The loading process still has space to improve
While the IX went well within range, his charging power was more average. It was calculated in 36 minutes of 10 to 80 percent – just one minute after the official claim of BMW – with an average charging speed of 145 kW. This is not bad, but others were much faster. The Lotus EMEYA R, for example, managed the same fee in just 15 minutes thanks to its 800-volt system and higher top charging rates.
The performance of the IX shows that some WLTP figures in the real world can actually be reached and even beaten. For drivers who worry about inflated reach, this result gives trust – at least in the case of BMW’s large electrical SUV. Thanks to a slightly larger battery and improved efficiency, the BMW IX XDRIVE60 offers noticeably more reach than the IX XDrive50. While the XDRIVE50 in America is rated for around 309 miles (EPA), the XDRIVE60 extends to about 364 miles – and 18%.
If almost 700 km sound impressive, the upcoming BMW IX3 will bring things even further. The BMW IX3 50 is expected to deliver around 800 km in the WLTP cycle, while other IX3 models could go further. More about that very soon!
[Source: NAF.no via BimmerToday]
