All posts tagged: BMW

Podcast: Tesla Semi and 4680 battery, BMW iX3 price, Rivian R2 pickup, and more

Podcast: Tesla Semi and 4680 battery, BMW iX3 price, Rivian R2 pickup, and more

Published by skeptic

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla Semi, the 4680 battery cell, BMW iX3 price, Rivian R2 pickup, and more. Today’s episode is sponsored by GM Energy. If you want to experience more resilience and control over your home energy, the GM Energy Home System adds stationary battery power for always-ready backup energy for your home, and the GM Energy PowerBank takes in energy from the grid and stores it for when you need it most. Learn more at gmenergy.gm.com We are also sponsored by NeuroHUD: Check out the NeuroHUD PRO featuring a true Tesla-focused HUD experience with navigation, blind-spot alerts, Autopilot status, and freely switchable display modes now on Kickstarter or Trantor Vision.com The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel. Advertisement – scroll for more content As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your …

BMW updates the new iX3 range estimates to 434 miles

BMW updates the new iX3 range estimates to 434 miles

Published by skeptic

The new iX3 will go on sale soon as BMW’s first Neue Klasse EV. Ahead of its US launch, BMW updated the 2027 iX3 range estimates to 434 miles. 2027 BMW iX3 driving range and price estimates BMW is kicking off a new era with the 2027 iX3, the first Neue Klasse model, promising a 30% improvement in driving range and 30% faster charging than its current EV lineup. Based on its Gen6 eDrive and a 108.7 kWh battery, the new iX3 offers a WLTP range of up to 500 miles (805 km). In the US, BMW initially estimated the 2027 iX3 could drive 400 miles on a single charge. BMW updated its website on Wednesday, bumping EPA driving range estimates to a whopping 434 miles. At that, BMW’s electric SUV would be among the few EVs in the US offering a range of over 400 miles. Advertisement – scroll for more content Update 4/30/26: BMW has since removed the 434-mile range estimate and replaced it with the initial 400-mile range on its website. The …

AITO joins BMW, Mercedes-Benz charging JV in China as equal partner

AITO joins BMW, Mercedes-Benz charging JV in China as equal partner

Published by skeptic

SERES Group’s Huawei-powered AITO brand is joining IONCHI, the premium charging joint venture between BMW and Mercedes-Benz in China, as an equal 33.3% shareholder. The deal restructures what was a 50:50 German partnership into a three-way collaboration with one of China’s fastest-growing luxury EV brands. The move signals a significant shift in China’s EV charging landscape, where German and Chinese automakers are now directly collaborating on premium infrastructure rather than competing on separate networks. The IONCHI joint venture was originally formed by BMW and Mercedes-Benz in late 2023 as a 50:50 partnership between Mercedes-Benz Group China and BMW Brilliance Automotive. The goal was ambitious: build at least 1,000 high-power charging stations with approximately 7,000 charging points across 100 Chinese cities by the end of 2026. Progress has been steady but faces a significant ramp. By December 2025, IONCHI had connected around 430 fast-charging stations with 2,408 charging points across 37 cities. That means the network needs to more than double its station count and nearly triple its charging points in 2026 to hit the original …

Podcast: Tesla Semi and 4680 battery, BMW iX3 price, Rivian R2 pickup, and more

Podcast: Tesla turns to energy, BMW i3 EV makes a splash, Donut Lab update, and more

Published by skeptic

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla turning to energy, BMW i3 EV making a splash, Donut Lab update, and more. The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel. As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in. After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps: Advertisement – scroll for more content We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming. Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast: Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET: FTC: …

BMW i3 2026: Specs, Price, Availability, Range

BMW i3 2026: Specs, Price, Availability, Range

Published by skeptic

No, the modern classic that was the wonderful BMW i3 has (sadly) not returned after being decommissioned in 2022. What you’re seeing here is the all-new electrified 3 Series model from the German automaker, the second car to come from its latest “Neue Klasse” modular EV platform. Due to the sheer volume of global sales of 3s for BMW, this new i3 could well be even more important than the first Neue Klasse offering, the iX3, which WIRED reviewed earlier this year and very much admired. The Neue Klasse platform BMW has been working on for years means new motors, new inverters, new batteries, new charging tech, and new interior displays. Most importantly, a powerful new centralized computer “brain” designed specifically for driving dynamics is supposed to make these latest EV Beemers handle better than many thought possible for an electric car. It works, too, as WIRED’s drive of the iX3 proves. Those new batteries are “cell-to-pack” and have liquid-cooled cylindrical cells with more nickel and less cobalt, offering up a 20-percent bump in energy …

BMW leaks new i3 EV days before its debut [Images]

BMW leaks new i3 EV days before its debut [Images]

Published by skeptic

The new i3 will make its official debut in two days, but we are already getting a look at it after BMW accidentally leaked the Neue Klasse EV online. BMW leaks i3 Neue Klasse EV ahead of its debut BMW is preparing to launch what’s widely considered its most important vehicle in company history. Following the iX3, the i3 will be the second Neue Klasse EV to launch later this year, and the first sedan in the lineup. Pre-series models are now rolling off the production line, and BMW is wrapping up testing at its winter test center in Sweden. Up until now, we’ve only seen a few camouflaged prototypes with what appears to be a similar Neue Klasse style as the iX3. The new design adopts a cleaner overall look featuring a slimmer kidney grille and “four-eyed” front face. Advertisement – scroll for more content BMW will reveal the new i3 in full on March 18, but the company accidentally leaked the design video, which was meant to premiere on Wednesday. While the video …

Humanoid robots get to work at German BMW factory [video]

Humanoid robots get to work at German BMW factory [video]

Published by skeptic

After successfully piloting humanoid robots at its Spartanburg, SC plant last year, BMW is putting AI-powered machines to work building EVs at its Leipzig iFACTORY. While other companies trade on promises and plans, BMW has been quietly testing humanoid robots at its Spartanburg, SC plant – and the results have been overwhelmingly positive. The Figure 02 humanoid robots in that project have contributed to the production of over 30,000 BMW X3s, primarily by handling the precise positioning of sheet metal for welding. This second project hopes to build on that success using new machines develped by Zurich-based Hexagon Robotics. Unveiled last June, the new Hexagon AEON robots are equipped with AI-based motion control and sensors that can evaluate their environment and make independent decisions based on what’s around, determining more or less on their own what they need to do to carry out their instructions while avoiding people and things that might otherwise be “in the way.” Hexagon calls that kind of decision-making, self-determining software, “Physical AI,” and the company believes it will make all the difference …

BMW i7 EV gets a Neue Klasse upgrade: Here’s our first look

BMW i7 EV gets a Neue Klasse upgrade: Here’s our first look

Published by skeptic

With its official debut just a few weeks away, BMW offered a sneak peek at the new 2027 7 Series, its flagship luxury sedan. BMW adds Neue Klasse style for the 2027 7 Series BMW is launching one of the most aggressive product offensive in company history with 40 new or updated models arriving by the end of 2027. Starting with the new iX3 this Spring, BMW is betting on its next-generation Neue Klasse (New Class) architecture to revamp brand sales and compete with leading EV manufacturers like BYD and Tesla. The 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, and eventually most, if not all, of BMW’s lineup will use Neue Klasse technology. Advertisement – scroll for more content Ahead of its world premiere next month, BMW previewed the new 7 Series for the first time on social media. While it’s just a teaser of the front end, one thing is for certain: the massive kidney grille, BMW’s signature, will stick around in the 2027 7 Series. Unlike the new iX3, which features a smaller, vertical …

The new BMW iX3 is cheaper than most luxury rival EVs

The new BMW iX3 is cheaper than most luxury rival EVs

Published by skeptic

The new iX3, BMW’s first Neue Klasse electric vehicle, is more affordable than most luxury rivals in Australia. With prices starting at around $60,000, it will be one of the more affordable luxury EVs in the US, too. BMW reveals iX3 EV prices in Australia A new era is set to begin at BMW with the new iX3 arriving this year, the first of its Neue Klasse electric vehicles. BMW claims the new EVs feature 30% longer driving ranges, 30% faster charging, and 20% higher energy density than its current lineup. They will also be more affordable. BMW revealed on Tuesday that the 2026 iX3 starts at AUD $109,900 ($78,700) in Australia, considerably less than most of its luxury rivals. The Genesis Electrified GV70, Porsche Macan Electric 4, Audi Q6 e-tron, and Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor are priced between AUD $120,000 and AUD $140,000 ($85,000-$100,000). Advertisement – scroll for more content According to TheDriven, the iX3 50 xDrive is only AUD $5,000 ($3,500) more than the outgoing version with the highest single-motor spec …

BMW built the first Neue Klasse i3, its most important electric sedan

BMW built the first Neue Klasse i3, its most important electric sedan

Published by skeptic

The new i3 is a drastic improvement over the outgoing model as BMW’s first Neue Klasse electric sedan. After the first pre-series models rolled off the production line, BMW is preparing to begin mass production by the end of 2026. BMW builds the first pre-series i3 Neue Klasse EVs After kicking off series production of the new iX3 in late 2025, BMW is preparing for another Neue Klasse EV model. Alongside the iX3, the new i3 is widely considered one of BMW’s most important vehicles, EV or ICE-powered, to date. The i3 is the second model based on BMW’s 800-volt Neue Klasse platform, which the company says delivers 30% faster charging speeds and a 30% increase in range. Advertisement – scroll for more content The platform features BMW’s next-gen electric motors (up to four) and batteries. It’s also equipped with new NMC batteries featuring BMW’s Gen6 cylindrical cells, which the company says are 20% more energy-dense than its previous prismatic cells. After the first pre-series i3 Neue Klasse vehicles rolled off the production line at BMW …