The New BMW X5 and iX5 will feature a Heightened Focus on Sustainability

• The automaker has made extra efforts to make these new models more sustainable than the ones they will replace.

• This includes a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions over the production process.

• The use of recycled materials has also been increased significantly, making up about a third of the weight of the electric iX5.

In addition to advanced technologies and a radical design, BMW wants its Neue Klasse family of vehicles to stand for sustainability.

Indeed, the company has made efforts to reduce the lifecycle emissions of these models by targeting improvements during the production process and the use phase.

In the case of the upcoming new X5 and electric iX5, this results in a 40% reduction in the amounts of CO2 generated during production.

These efforts begin at the very start of the production process, with the automaker’s factories making use of mostly or entirely renewable energy.

In addition, 50% of the flat steel used in the new X5 and iX5 comes from an electric arc furnace, which is cleaner than other steel production methods. This same steel also incorporates large amounts of recycled materials.

The same goes for the aluminum used in these mid-size crossovers, with the wheels, brake callipers, and various suspension parts containing re-used materials and being made exclusively with renewable energy.

The doors of the new X5 alone contain 35% recycled material, a portion of which comes from BMW’s own press shop at the Spartanburg factory.

The headliner’s yarn is also made entirely of recycled PET, something that numerous automakers have adopted in recent years.

The electric iX5’s battery cells are also more sustainable than those in previous-generation BMW EVs, notably thanks to large proportions of re-used cobalt, nickel, and lithium. Renewable energy is also used in the production process of the battery itself. This makes it possible for the production of the battery of the iX5 to generate 28% fewer CO2 emissions per watt-hour than the battery used in the older iX.

In total, BMW claims that recycled materials in the iX5 60 xDrive account for 940 kg, or a third of the weight of the entire vehicle.

Of course, the entire production process at the Spartanburg, South Carolina, plant has been made more sustainable as well, with a reduced reliance on fossil fuels and a reduction in quantities of refuse sent to landfills.

Indeed, the automaker says that since 2006, the amount of energy needed to produce a vehicle at this plant has reduced by 66%, while waste destined for landfills has reduced by 88%.

Of course, an effort was also made to improve the efficiency of the SUVs themselves, with the powertrains being monitored by the latest generation of the automaker’s control software. In the case of the electric iX5, this permits more effective regeneration under braking. The exterior design of the gas-powered X5 and its electric counterpart also reduces aerodynamic drag, further increasing efficiency.

Thanks to all of these efforts, BMW claims that the inherently higher carbon footprint linked to the manufacture of the electric iX5 can be negated in only one to two years of driving, when using renewable energy to charge the battery.

This is significant since it can take five years or more for most EVs to achieve a net environmental advantage over comparable gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles, even in the best of circumstances.

To prove these claims, BMW will publicly release a Product Carbon Footprint for the new X5 once the SUV reaches production later this year. This report, validated by the independent German Technical Inspection Association (TÜV), will point out the vehicle’s expected lifecycle carbon footprint as well as the methodology used to come up with these figures.