Home charging station among several incentives announced.

PURCHASERS of three impending electric BMW cars – the iX3, i4 and iX – will receive complimentary wallbox charging unit from the brand.

In addition, customers who finance those models with BMW Financial Services can achieve an $800 contribution towards installation at their place of choosing via an approved electrician, facilitated by BMW New Zealand dealers, according to a brand communication.

An incentive announced this week will be in play by the time the iX3 and iX go on sale later this month. The i4 is following in the first quarter of next year.

BMW says its Wallbox can be used in or outdoor and provides a charging rate of up to 22kW.

It also synchronises with a downloadable app for monitoring its charge state, adjusting the settings of the LED status bar and tracking previous charging sessions.

In addition, owners will have a ChargeNow membership with a 10 percent discount on all public charging rates for the first 24 months. This enables through the ChargeNet system, cited as the country’s largest network of public fast charging stations nationwide. ChargeNet’s provision includes 250 DC rapid charging stations.

The announcement comes ahead of the launch of the BMW iX3 is a lookalike for the ‘regular’ fossil fuel reliant X3 but has features a 210kW, 400Nm electric drive system fed by an 80kWh battery. BMW cites range of up to 460km on the WLTP test cycle.

The BMW iX is a larger, brand-new sports utility offered in two variants – the BMW iX xDrive 40, and ix xDrive50 – with driving range capability of up to 630km as per the WLTP test cycle.

The i4 is set to present in eDrive40 and M50 formats; the latter will be promoted as the make’s first electric M model. It has dual motors producing 400kW and 795Nm, is said to capable of 0-100kmh in 3.9 seconds and have 510km of range.

BMW is also pushing a strong sustainability message with the cars, reminding that the use of rare earths is avoided in its electric motors and that electricity used to produce the BMW iX and i4 is generated via hydroelectric plants in Bavaria. The iX3 comes from a factory in China, whose Green status is not shared.