World EV Day: New models lead BMW's Australian electric charge

BMW Group Australia has used World EV Day to confirm it will introduce three new electric vehicles to the local market by April 2022.

The iX3 and iX SUVs and the i4 Gran Coupe will join the i3, Mini Electric Hatch and the plug-in hybrid versions of its sedans and SUVs to take its electrified range to 10, with that number to expand to 25 by 2023 – more than half of which will be battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).

The iX3 and iX will be the first to arrive, toward the end of 2021 – with the i4 line-up, which will include the 400kW M50 hero variant, expected at the beginning of 2022.

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The shift to electrification is in line with the parent company’s pledge for half its global sales to be BEVs by 2030.

This includes Mini, which by then will offer a fully electric line-up.

Electrified BMW and Mini sales have already experienced a rise in Australia, with a 114 per cent increase to the end of July 2021 compared to the corresponding period in 2020.

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In addition to its global EV expansion, BMW is aiming to reduce C02 emissions caused by vehicle production – which account for 70 per cent of its carbon footprint.

That figure is naturally higher for BEVs, which has seen new sustainability measures applied to the production of the firm's new-generation models, such as those arriving in Australia during the next six months.

For example, the raw material cobalt used in the iX3’s 80kWh battery has been reduced by around a third compared with the previous-generation battery in the BMW i3.

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Meanwhile, renewable energy is used both for the manufacture of battery cells and vehicles.

On the BMW iX, a high proportion of secondary aluminium and reused plastic also contribute to its resource-efficient production process.

The amount of secondary nickel used for the high-voltage battery in that model is already as high as 50 per cent, with the battery housing containing up to 30 per cent secondary aluminium.

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The interior of the iX uses FSC-certified wood and leather tanned with olive leaf extracts, as well as other natural products.

Recycled fishing nets are among the raw materials used for the floor coverings and mats.

By 2030, BMW aims to halve the CO2 emissions per vehicle and kilometres driven compared to 2019 levels.