BMW confirms first all electric X5 with 144 kWh battery

BMW has confirmed key specifications for its first all-electric X5 SUV, which will feature the largest battery ever installed in a production BMW and is scheduled to debut later this summer. The new iX5 60 xDrive will arrive with a 144 kilowatt-hour usable battery pack for the North American market and a 141 kWh unit for Europe, the automaker announced on Monday, June 15, 2026.

The electric SUV is currently undergoing final calibration drives at BMW's manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. While official range figures have not been released, the battery's size suggests the iX5 will be a contender for one of the longest-range electric vehicles on sale. For context, the battery's usable capacity significantly exceeds that of rivals like the Porsche Cayenne Electric and the Lucid Gravity Grand Touring, and is larger than the optional Max pack in the Rivian R1S.

Despite its substantial battery, the iX5 will not be built on BMW's dedicated Neue Klasse electric vehicle architecture, which debuted with the recently unveiled iX3. Instead, it utilizes an updated version of the existing CLAR platform, which supports multiple powertrains. However, the iX5 incorporates key...