BMW unveils greener, heavier iX5 SUV with record battery and recycled materials

BMW announced that the next‑generation X5 and its fully electric iX5 variant will be built with a focus on sustainability. Production emissions are targeted to be cut by about 40 % thanks to renewable‑energy‑powered factories and the extensive use of recycled materials – roughly one‑third of the iX5’s weight, or 940 kg, comes from reclaimed aluminium, steel and PET. The iX5 will also carry BMW’s largest battery to date, offering a usable capacity of 141 kWh in Europe (144 kWh in the United States), which makes the vehicle the heaviest regular‑production model in the brand’s history at just over 2.8 t.

The new battery’s carbon footprint per kilowatt‑hour is estimated to be 28 % lower than previous BMW electric‑vehicle batteries, and the company expects the overall environmental impact of the iX5 to become lower than that of comparable fuel‑powered SUVs after one to two years of operation, assuming renewable‑energy charging. These steps are part of BMW’s broader strategy to reduce lifecycle emissions across its vehicle line‑up.