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Electric vehicles benefit from updated wheel designs

When automotive engineers were designing the new BMW iX3 all-electric four-door SUV, they put some extra effort into the look and functionality of the wheels. Why? Because lightweighting and reducing drag can add miles and miles to an electric vehicle's range, and that is the name of the game in the evolving EV market.

According to BMW, "The wheels and their aerodynamic flow influence the overall vehicle efficiency by up to 30%." That's a lot of wiggle room for an electric car or truck to gain some mileage. So for the iX3, which is built in China and developed mainly for that market (but will also be available in Europe), a new combination of an aluminum base wheel and individually designed inserts helps contribute to better efficiency.

The company has dubbed its design the BMW Aerodynamic Wheel. While reducing drag by about 5% compared to a conventionally powered BMW X3, the new Aerodynamic Wheels are not only more efficient but also lighter than previous ones. Thanks to optimum airflow around the wheel arches, the wheels are 15% lighter than the aerodynamic wheels previously fitted by BMW.

BMW says the benefits of the new wheels in terms of aerodynamics and weight have the overall effect of lowering power consumption for the iX3 by 2% in the European WLTP test cycle, which equates to 0.4 kWh/100 km and extends the vehicle range by 10 km. For a small SUV with an 80-kW battery pack that provides about 320 km (200 miles) of driving range in total, those extra kilometers can really add up.

Wheel covers are not new, but how these are put together is. The Aerodynamic Wheels on the BMW iX3 blend lightweight construction and reduced air resistance with the sporting elegance of a V-spoke aluminum wheel in a whole new way. Additionally, the new base wheel is made using less material than its precursor.

The wheel features lightweight inserts with a high-end finish that provide a good deal of aesthetic and aerodynamic impact. The inserts are precision molded and integrated into the outside of the wheel between the spokes. The design is also noteworthy because BMW is the first automobile manufacturer to combine cast aluminum wheels with inserts consisting of a plastic carrier and an aluminum visible surface.

The high-quality material used for the inserts and their precise integration into the wheel design with no visible gaps reinforces the premium character of the rims. The patented process for optimizing aerodynamic properties while minimizing weight also opens up a lot of opportunities for vehicle customization. The Aerodynamic Wheels can be painted in different colors, while the customer can also choose between matt or polished finish.

BMW says all versions of the base wheel can be fitted with inserts whose appearance can vary in endless ways according to the sheen, polish, and pattern specified. This means that, for example, color accents from the body design can be incorporated into the inserts' styling. Inserts can also be combined with different surface designs within a single wheel. The end result is a multitude of aerodynamically optimized wheel possibilities, each with a design that matches the vehicle's character, the equipment line selected, and the customer's individual preferences.

The new Aerodynamic Wheels will also be featured on the BMW iNext and BMW i4, which are planned to be introduced in 2021.

Source: BMW Group

Published December 2020

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