BMW iX2 eDrive20: Diesel efficiency from an EV

The BMW iX2 eDrive20 offers a combination of respectable performance and the promise of economical electric motoring. There once was a time when everybody thought diesel was the way of the future. Many still do. Especially down here on the very tip of Africa. But as the world has evolved, so too has diesel become a dirty word. Especially in the premium segment where people still want that smooth diesel pull and excellent fuel consumption but not the stigma of driving a diesel. Enter the BMW iX2 eDrive20. A full battery Electric Vehicle (EV) offering that fits the bill of delivering diesel type performance and no surprises at the fuel pumps. Driving through the front wheels, the BMW iX2 eDrive20 offers 150kW and 250Nm. Picture: Mark Jones Power and performance At the heart of the BMW iX2 eDrive20 is a 150 kW / 250 Nm single electric motor driving the front wheels. Now straight off the bat you are going to say that these are not big numbers. And they are not. Especially when everything electric these days come with claimed power and torque figures that read like telephone numbers. Sure, Chinese telephone numbers maybe, because what it stated on paper does not always translate into what happens out on the road. It was never a dedicated plan to road test the BMW iX2 for performance data. But since we had the all-new, somewhat more powerful, BMW iX3 50 xDrive at the same time, we headed off to Gerotek to see what our Racelogic VBOX was going to say. BMW claim a decent enough 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.6 seconds for the iX2 eDrive20. And for the first time in a while I can report that we consistently got even better than claimed with an 8.3 second run. The electronically limited top speed of 170 km/h also comes up in less than 800m of tar for those that might value the top speed of an EV. And this combined with proper punchy roll-on acceleration, makes the BMW iX2 far more spirited than what the badge on the back hints at. The maximum AC charging rate is 22kW and 130kW for DC charging sources. Picture: Mark Jones Unbeatable fuel efficiency I know we shouldn’t say fuel efficient when it comes to an EV. But it’s a term that everybody understands. People always ask how light a car is on fuel. And when you say my EV consumes so many kWh per 100km, you can see their eyes gloss over as you lose them. For the accountants. It costs me only R270 to fully charge the BMW iX2’s 66.5-kWh battery using my 7-kWh wall box charger at home. Public charging is faster, but costs around double compared to home, and for my everyday commuting needs, letting the car charge for a few hours every night worked best for me. In old school talk. R270 doesn’t get you 10-litres of diesel at today’s price of more than R30 per litre, but for this I can do almost 400km of normal driving. For the ordinary man in the street, this translates into the BMW iX2 using around 2-litres of diesel for every 100km. You are not beating this with any traditional combustion engined alternative at any price point. BMW continue to provide a wide range of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Picture: Mark Jones Competitive pricing Talking of which, the BMW iX2 retails for a suggested R1.3 million. And this means you can buy any number of Chinese vehicles that offer more bling at the price. But driving a BMW is about badge status, a quality interior, comprehensive on-board tech and most importantly, well sorted driving characteristics typical of the brand. Ultimately, the BMW iX2 eDrive20 demonstrates that electric motoring need not revolve around extraordinary acceleration figures. Its greatest strengths lie in smooth power delivery, everyday usability and impressive energy efficiency.