The BMW iX3 just smashed 1,000 km on a single charge and still had some juice to spare
BMW’s new electric SUV is a true range monster. BMW drove the iX3 over 1,000 km (621 miles) without charging, and it still wasn’t empty.
Can the new BMW iX3 drive for over 1,000 km?
The 2026 iX3 is set to kick off a new era at BMW as the first of its Neue Klasse, or “New Class,” of electric vehicles.
BMW said the iX3 would be the industry benchmark for driving range and charging, and it’s already proving it. As the first vehicle to ride on its new Gen6 platform, the electric SUV is “a massive leap” from BMW’s current EV lineup, with up to 30% more range and faster charging.
To prove it, a BMW team pushed the new iX3 to the limit, driving “an unprecedented” 1,000 km (621 miles) from its Debrecen plant in Hungary, where the iX3 is built, to Munich, Germany, without stopping to charge.
The team arrived at BMW Welt and still had over 20 km (12 miles) of range remaining. The accomplishment is “a powerful statement about the real-world capabilities of modern electric vehicles,” BMW said after the trip.
BMW’s team avoided highways and used as little energy as possible during the journey. After arriving in Vienna with 53% battery charge remaining, the team cut off air conditioning, heating, and radio to reduce energy consumption.
When the iX3 finally reached BMW Welt in Munich, it travelled 1,007.7 km, proving the Neue Klass can drive over 1,000 km (621 miles) in the real world.
BMW’s new iX3 is rated at up to 800 km (497 miles) under WLTP, but BMW just proved it can drive much further. On the EPA scale, the 2026 BMW iX3 is expected to deliver around 400 miles of driving range.
Thanks to its 800V architecture, the electric SUV can charge at speeds of up to 400 kW. You can see at the end of the video that the iX3 actually hits 404 kW.
The iX3 is produced at BMW’s Debrecen plant with deliveries set to begin in Europe in early 2026, followed by the US in the summer. BMW will build a unique version at its Shenyang plant for the Chinese market.
It will initially launch as the BMW iX3 50 xDrive. In Germany, it’s already listed on BMW’s website with prices starting at €68,900 ($81,000).
In the US, the new BMW iX3 will be available in the summer of 2026, starting at about $60,000. Although it has yet to be certified by the EPA, BMW expects it will provide a range of around 400 miles. In early 2027, BMW will launch the iX3 40 sDrive and iX3 40 xDrive. Prices are expected to be under $55,000 with slightly over 300 miles of range.
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First Solar just cut the ribbon on a huge new factory in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and it dwarfs the New Orleans Superdome. The company’s $1.1 billion, fully vertically integrated facility spans 2.4 million square feet, or about 11 times the size of the stadium’s main arena.
The factory began production quietly in July, a few months ahead of schedule, and employs more than 700 people. First Solar expects that number to hit 826 by the end of the year. Once it’s fully online, the site will add 3.5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. That brings the company’s total US footprint to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its newly announced South Carolina plant is anticipated to come online.
The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.
The new factory leans heavily on AI, from computer vision that spots defects on the line to deep learning tools that help technicians make real‑time adjustments.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says the investment is already a win for the region, bringing in “hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.” A new economic impact analysis from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the factory will boost Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4% in its first full year at capacity. The average manufacturing compensation package comes in at around $90,000, more than triple the parish’s per capita income.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar framed the new facility as a major step for US clean energy manufacturing: “By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
This site joins what’s already the largest solar manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere: three factories in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. Just last week, First Solar announced a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore more Series 6 module work. By the end of 2026, the company expects to directly employ more than 5,500 people across the US.
Read more: First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory
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No, it’s not the new Bolt. GM’s design team previewed a new high-riding “sporty Chevrolet EV” that should be brought to life.
Is Chevy launching a new sporty EV?
This is the all-electric vehicle Chevy should sell in the US. General Motors’ design team released a series of sketches previewing a sporty new Chevy EV.
Although it kinda looks like the new 2027 Chevy Bolt EV as a higher-sitting compact crossover SUV, the design offers a fresh take on what it should have looked like.
The new Bolt is essentially a modernized version of the outgoing EUV model with a similar compact crossover silhouette. Nissan adopted a similar style with the new 2026 LEAF as buyers continue shifting from smaller sedans and hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs.
Will we see the sporty Chevy EV in real life? It’s not likely. For one, the “exploration sketch” is by GM China Advanced designer Charles Huang.
GM Design posted the sketches on its global social media page, but the caption read “Sporty Chevrolet EV for the China Market.”
It’s too bad. The Bolt could use a sporty sibling like an SS variant. Chevy introduced the Blazer EV SS (check out our review) for the 2026 model year, its fastest “SS” model yet. Packing up to 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Chevy Blazer SS can race from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds when using Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode.
Will the Bolt be next? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And if GM does bring the sporty Chevy EV to life, it will likely only be sold in China. Like all the fun cars these days.
What do you think of the design? Would you buy one of these in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
While deliveries of the 2027 Bolt are set to begin in early 2026, Chevy is offering some sweet deals on its current EV lineup, including up to $4,000 off in Customer Cash and 0% APR financing for 60 months.
Ready to test drive one? You can use our links below to find Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs at a dealership near you.
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Environment
Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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