BMW was early in the electric car race with the little i3, but then followed a few quiet years with less pure news. Instead, BMW developed a range of plug-in hybrids and the iX3 SUV, which is a fully electrified X3. Meanwhile, there was a whisper about a completely newly developed electric car: iX.

The first pictures were shown last autumn and now BMW is releasing more information about the iX. The electric car is sold in two versions: BMW iX xDrive40 and BMW iX xDrive50. Both have two electric motors and four-wheel drive.

iX is the first car from BMW on the newly developed platform for electric cars, which means a new processor for information management and control of energy as well as new batteries. BMW also promises that their new electric cars have been built with strict requirements on climate and ethics and energy from renewable sources has been used in the process. BMW is one of the most advanced manufacturers in terms of requirements for ethically sustainable production of materials and parts.

BMW, for example, buys cobalt from Australia and Morocco and delivers it to the battery cell manufacturer. BMW has also developed a handle for using recycled aluminium.

The BMW iX shares the powertrain with the recently unveiled iX3 and it is the fifth electric powertrain that BMW has developed. The electric motor, gearbox and control unit are in the same compact module.

Compared with previous models, the energy density of the lithium-ion battery has increased by 20 per cent. That means a longer range on the same volume battery. The battery capacity is 70 kWh and 100 kWh for the two models. This means a range of 40 and 60 miles respectively. Energy consumption is around 20 kWh per ten miles.

BMW has developed its charging capacity for the two cars. xDrive40 can be charged with 150 kW and xDrive50 with 200 kW. This means that the cars can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent of the battery's capacity in 40 minutes.

The new BMW iX is slightly larger than iX3. The outer dimensions can be compared with today's X5. It is as tall as an X6 and comes with the same tire dimensions as a large X7, 21 or 22 inches.

The luggage compartment swallows over 500 litres and the xDrive50 gets adaptive air suspension and both cars have a towing weight of 2.5 tonnes. Both cars can also have a roof box.

The first customers can get their cars in the autumn when production begins this summer. The price is set at 77,000 euros for the BMW iX xDrive40 and 98,000 euros for the BMW iX xDrive50. @via BMW.