BMW sparks doubt
THE boss of German car-giant BMW launched the firm’s new flagship all- electric i X sports activity vehicle this week, but asked UK ministers: where can our customers charge it up?
BMW chief executive Oliver Zipse warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson that banning sales of all new petrol, diesel and even hybrid vehicles by 2035 would be a mistake because he doubted there would be sufficient public charging points for electric cars.
The broadside at the Government’s electric car strategy came after Mr Zipse, with the help of the Oscar-winning Austro-German actor Christoph Waltz (Bond nemesis Ernst Blofeld in recent 007 films), unveiled the new iX during an online launch.
‘I wonder whether it is politically wise,’ he told the Daily Mail, referring to the petrol ban. ‘We can cope. We are highly flexible. We will be ready, whether it is 2030 or 2035. We can produce enough cars.’
Mr Zipse said not all countries would be setting so tight a banning deadline as the UK. But he noted: ‘Many individuals cannot afford a new electric car. They may not have access to a charging station.’
The new iX sports activity vehicle is set to go on sale next November, priced from about £85,000. It is a trailblazer for more battery powered vehicles, including a fullyelectric Rolls-Royce as well as the new electric MINI.
Although the iX is the most technically advanced BMW to date, much of its tech is hidden. This i ncludes scanners and cameras, used for autonomous self-driving, secreted behind the large kidney-shaped grille in what BMW describes as ‘shy tech’. Driven by two powerful electric motors developing 500 hp, the new iX accelerates from rest to 62 mph in under five seconds. Its range is more than 300 miles.
On Brexit, Mr Zipse said: ‘We are hoping for the best. We hope we can come to an agreement and we can keep on doing our business without too much disruption.’
The firm has four factories in the UK including the MINI factory in Oxford.