Autobayng News Team
The BMW iX3 is the tip of the spear for the automaker’s electrification push. With 400 miles of range, 400 kilowatt charging and an overhauled electronics architecture, it’s the most sophisticated BMW EV ever.
It’s also perhaps the greenest car the company has ever made, and a showcase of something BMW calls the “circular economy.” As a couple of BMW sustainability executives explained on a bonus episode of the Plugged-In Podcast recorded live at Climate Week NYC, the iX3 was designed from the ground up not only to use reclaimed materials—but also to be recycled itself.
All in all, one-third of the iX3’s raw materials had a first life somewhere else. And, BMW says, that’s just the beginning.
“So if a BMW iX3 has a secondary raw material quota of one-third, that’s a trailblazer, right? But at the same time, there’s an expectation that the rest of the organization, the rest of the vehicles in our portfolio, will will quickly close the gap as well,” Glenn Schmidt, the automaker’s vice president of global sustainability, said. 
The iX3’s front bumper is made of old bumpers. Its plastic bits come from PET bottles. Importantly—and this is a big one—its next-generation batteries use far more reclaimed metals like nickel and cobalt than previous cells, while also offering improved energy density and charging speeds. BMW is working to build up supply chains for recycled battery components, and we get deep into that in the episode.
The result is a car that has a significantly reduced carbon footprint. BMW says the iX3 becomes cleaner than a comparable gas vehicle after just one year of driving, even when you account for all the emissions created during manufacturing. The BMW iX3 on display at Climate Week NYC. Photo by: Patrick George
But “circularity,” Schmidt and colleague Nils Hesse explain on the show, is also good for business. Because recycled materials are just another way of diversifying supply chains, hedging geopolitical risk and reducing reliance on China, for example.
Check out the show wherever you get your podcasts. The InsideEVs Plugged-In Podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube (in video form) and other platforms.
And let us know: Who do you want to see on the show next?
Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com More Of Our Latest Pods We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Insideevs.com? – The InsideEVs team
