A 915 mile iX3 UK road trip report

Of the all the electric cars I’ve used in road trips in the UK and Europe I was expecting the new BMW iX3 to be exceptional and it is. The long range and very fast charging speeds make long distances a doddle. What happens though when a 498 mile WLTP range meets UK 70mph Motorways in 12-14C temperatures on a very rainy English day in June. And what difference does the same speed in dry 19C sunshine make on the final leg.

Leg 1 – London to St Ives in Cornwall

M3, A303, A30

A middle class classic

Key stats

• Distance – 276 miles
• Average speed 52.5mph including mostly 70mph with some slower roads at either end
• 5 hours 16 mins / No charging stops required
• Battery SOC – 100% to 17%
• 83% battery used was equivalent to a 100% of 336 miles (540km)
• Miles per kWh 3.09
• Energy used 89.3kWh after 15.1kWh of energy from regen braking

• Big shout out to the BMW app for summarising the trip data. It summarised each leg of the journey perfectly. Unlike the main car display, efficiency is displayed as kWh per 100 miles so you divide 100 by the figure shown to get your miles per kWh.
• The travel day was when pretty much all of England and Wales was being rained on including for about 80% of the journey. The weather conditions go some way to explaining why this was the least efficient leg of the trip. Fortunately St Ives itself was windy but rain free for the entire time I was there.
• By comparison on my original St Ives day trip in a 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance minus I left home with 70% SOC from London and charged for 26 minutes in Amesbury, 10 minutes at Lifton, and 10 mins at Cambourne. Worth noting this was winter and 3C so not comparable in that respect either.
• My other road trip in the same Tesla to Padstow and back was in summer and needed 69 minutes of charge time for the 528 mile roundtrip leaving home with a 100% charge.In this trip the Tesla needed 29 mins to reach Padstow although if I had only used Tesla Superchargers then it would have been nearer 25 mins.
• Lunch at the Porthminster kitchen a favourite of mine overlooking the harbour was good as always. Worth remembering the Tate St Ives has paid exhibitions only so don’t lapse your membership just before arrival like I did.
• I was the victim of an attempted robbery in St Ives.. of an ice cream as I left the shop by a Herring gull!. It seems the perpetrator was quite inexperienced as he dived at my shoulder from behind and bounced off before getting anywhere near the loot he was after. Close call and the ice cream was lovely

Leg 2 – St Ives to Cheltenham

A30, M5

Not just sporting Gold

Key Stats

• Distance – 227 miles
• Average speed 56.7mph including mostly 70mph with some slower roads at either end
• 4 hours 0 mins
• Charge stop 1 – 6-60% or 65kWh in 14 mins. This was sufficient to complete the journey to Cheltenham with 11% on arrival
• Extra Charge stop 2 – 367 miles into the journey I decided to make a second stop so that I could get further on Leg 3. This 22% to 70% charge peaked at 399kW, added 56kWh and took 12 mins averaging 278kW
• Battery SOC – 17% to 61% having added an extra 54%+48% so 58k% used from St Ives to Cheltenham.
• 58% battery used was equivalent to a 100% of 391 miles (630 km)
• Miles per kWh 3.63 for this leg.
• Energy used 89.3kWh after 15.1kWh of energy from regen braking

• On arrival at St Ives I still had 17% battery, enough to drive 48 miles to the Ionity charger at Bodmin with 6% on arrival for my first charge after 324 miles in poor conditions. Starting with 100% and a 14 minute stop the total range available was 551 miles.
• Worth noting I did 5 mins on a slower Bodmin charger that peaked at just 250kW (234kW average) from 6-22% then swapped to one next door for 9 mins that peaked at 322kW with a 268kW average from 22% to 60%
• In drier weather, a better charger first time round and 15 minutes not 14 minutes charge my 575 mile goal of Inverness seems potentially within reach.
• After the 2nd Extra charge stop I arrived in Cheltenham 502.3 miles into the trip with 61% and 281 miles of range remaining.
• Having used 58% of the battery for 227 miles the 100% range of the car was 391 miles almost entirely on dual carriageway in Cornwall and the M5 motorway. If you cross check the consumption of 3.63 x the 108.7kWh battery size it’s an even more ridiculous 394.58 mile range. If this can be replicated on other legs then the UK legal limit ( plus UK congestion and roadworks!) would seem to be a sweet spot speed.
• So 26 mins of charging after leaving with a full charge is enough to cover 783.3 miles or 1,263km in 100% terms with most of it at UK limits up to around at 70 mph. Worth remembering this is in the most efficient spec with only the adaptive headlamps resulting in a reduction of 2 miles from the 500 mile WLTP max.
• Is the iX3 the most efficient car? Of course not but is this combination of efficiency and battery size and car size the automotive equivalent of Jonah Lomu, the incredible New Zealand rugby union player? Maybe? 2 legs to go!

• The centre of Cheltenham was really fun to explore. Sam’s Montpellier had a nice selection of Tapas style small plates and excellent service. The Montpellier wine bar and cellar restaurant had a relaxed friendly vibe after while the Parler coffee shop looks so nice I felt a bit disappointed to only be ordering a take out coffee.

Leg 3 – Cheltenham to Ross on Wye

B4221, M50

Everything’s Electric

• Before leaving Cheltenham there was a brief 2.6 mile drive to Cheltenham Racecourse to the Everything Electric show West. This was 2.6 miles in 12 mins and efficiency was 4.06 miles per kWh. 61% on departure and same on arrival
• Everything Electric seems to be evolving in line with what visitors want. Increasingly this means less focus on product sales and more on making sure there is a large selection of electric cars to look over, get into and test drive. Having all that in one place is still a big draw.

Trip to Ross on Wye

Wye not enjoy the riverside tranquillity ?

• Distance – 31 miles
• Average speed 31.8 mph mostly traffic jams leaving Cheltenham, A and B roads and a bit of dual carriageway.
• 1 hour / No charging stops required
• Battery SOC – 60 to 53%
• 7% battery used was equivalent to a 100% of 448 miles (722km)
• Miles per kWh 4.09
• Energy used 7.7 kWh after 4.5Wh of energy from regen braking

• Ross on Wye has a nice relaxed vibe. Just look at how they walk their dogs.. or swim them in fact on a long lead. Coming from Cheltenham the night before I’m not sure it compares in culinary excellence but it’s still a nice place to visit and explore.

Leg 4 Ross on Wye to Stackpole Quay, Pembrokeshire

A40, A465, M4, A477

Beach, lakeside and clifftop gem

• Distance – 132 miles
• Average speed 51.6 mph including mostly 70mph with some 60mph, 50 mph and slow roads
• 2 hours 33 mins
• Charging – I didn’t need to charge but I did need an urgent biological stop after too much liquid at breakfast. It made sense to use the facilities at Cross Hands E.ON. By the time returned and immediately unplugged was 8 mins during which time the iX3 had greedily sucked in 32kWh from the 300kW charger at an average from 30 to 57% of 225kW. With hindsight I could have used battery protection mode to slow this down a bit as this was my most expensive charger.
• Battery SOC – 53% to 47% after 27% added by charging so 33% used.
• 33% battery used was equivalent to a 100% of 400 miles (645km)
• Miles per kWh 3.63 (split 3.3 before the charge and 4.1 after)
• Energy used 36.3kWh (25.1 before charge+11.2 after) and 5.4+5.9=11.3 kWh of energy from regen braking

• Once I parked up at Stackpole National Trust I noticed it had one of those rare things – a free AC charger. I didn’t use it, largely on the grounds it might confuse my stats and with 209 miles range on arrival I didn’t really need to.
• Stackpole is an real National Trust gem with several car parks including the small one at Stackpole Quay that serves a rather good sausage roll with a fab view. If you’re prepared to Navigate and plan on the coastal path to St Govan’s chapel be prepared to notch up 22k steps and 50 floors climbed
• If you like ice cream without the taste of diesel hold off till the car park by the chapel and hope the lovely gent from Norfolk ice cream is serving fume free scoops for 3.50, You don’t have to have one on the way and one on the way back but it’s a taboo I have now broken!
• If you just want to relax on a spacious beautiful beach Barafundle and Broadhaven are on the route.

Leg 5 Stackpole Quay to home in SW London

A447, M4

If you want to see every inch of the M4…

• Distance – 247 miles
• Average speed 55.5 mph including mostly starting with slow B then A roads then the entire length of the M4 Motorway at 70mph
• 4 hours 27 mins
• Charging – After that E.ON 8 minute charge I had enough to reach Chippenham Ionity Station 199.3 miles away!. Took 9 mins to go from 11% to 47% at a peak of 279kW and an average of.. 272kW!
• Battery SOC – 47% to 24% after 36% added by charging so 59% used.
• 59% battery used was equivalent to a 100% of 418 miles (674km)
• Miles per kWh 3.86
• Energy used 64.13kWh

• I also noted that from Chippenham to Heston Services at the London end of the M4 efficiency 3.6 miles per kWh at an average of 66.9mph. The average speed had been 68mph at 3.5 miles per kWh or 100% 380 miles (613km) till the 60mph limit from Heathrow. That’s equivalent to a 19C pure UK motorway run with no major roadworks or congestion to sway the figures.
• Those motorway efficiency numbers since Chippenham improved further to 3.8 miles per kWh since the Chippenham charge by the time I got home.

• Not much to report on the drive except that it seems that I was one of few slowing for the 50mph signs designed to cut air pollution. Sort of ironic as I wasn’t polluting while diesels smoked passed me on the stretches than weren’t camera controlled
• If you do use Ionity Chippenham it’s described as in a services. Seems to be more like a truck park with a shop that does limited hours so if you fancy a coffee or biological break the M4 Eastbound services just before the Chippenham exit seem to be a safer bet before going to charge.

Whole trip stats

• 914.9 miles
• 262.3 kWh after 52 kWh of regen
• 91.1% used by drivetrain, 3.7% electronics, 3.9% climate, 1.2% battery conditioning
• 3.5 miles per kWh
• Speed average 52.6 mph

Energy Cost of the 915 mile (1,475km) whole trip

• Ionity charging total £73.59 for 163.516 kWh. 45p per kWh after BMW charging pass discount
• Costs E.ON £23.57 in Wales at 74p per kWh
• Shell Ubitricity lamp post £37.79 for 74kWh at an average 51p per kWh partly using off peak overnight to 84%
• Lamp post at same price to 100% would be a further £8.86. Although if I had plugged into the Stackpole free charger I probably would have saved £20
• Trip total £143.81 for the 915 miles or 15.7p per mile. This means my average price was 54p per kWh.
• By comparison at current prices a diesel car doing 40mpg paying £1.815/L would cost 20.6p per mile or £188.49 for the same trip, A comparable performance model to the iX3 doing 30mpg would 28p for the diesel and 35mpg which is probably the most realistic is 24p per mile.
• By comparison at current prices a petrol car doing 40mpg paying £1.49/L would cost 18.1p per mile or £165.61 for the same trip. 35 mpg increases the cost to 20.7p and 30mpg is 24.1p per mile.

Verdict

• For
  Phenomenal car for long distance road trips. Feels lighter to drive than you’d expect and I really like the optional HK sound system. One thing you really notice is that when a motorway goes up a hill the fuel burning cars drop to 60-65mph. While EV’s go at the set cruise speed of 70mph up the hill and down the other side combustion cars catch up on the downs then disappear into the rear view mirror when faced with a hill. It’s actually quite comical once you notice.
• Against – some suspension noise and the odd squeak although mainly from my water bottle because BMW didn’t line the door pockets. Finally this could be the colour or lack of M Sport styling packs but while I think the car looks a bit big and a bit flash absolutely no one noticed the iX3. Not while driving or charging at amazing speeds or parked up. It’s almost like the car is going through what people in their 50’s go through when they become invisible to everyone they pass on the street. Not getting any attention can be a good thing but I’m a bit surprised that so far 0% of passers by share my enthusiasm, certainly for its looks anyway! Voice control is effective but very limited if you don’t get the Amazon Alexa account.