Sigh. According to BMW's press release today (in other words, if you have an iX that was produced before March 2023, you are currently not able to get these new features or a upgrade to iDrive 8.5.
I thought I was getting their flagship EV back in 2022 where it would get exciting new features over time. Sadly, I was mistaken -->
"To coincide with the ongoing expansion of the all-electric model line-up, new functions are being made available for all BMW i7 and BMW iX variants in summer 2023 that will make enjoying locally emission-free driving pleasure even easier and more convenient.
The BMW Group is the first carmaker in the world to incorporate multi-contract functionality into this new feature. Customers are able to store their individual vehicle electricity contracts from multiple suppliers in digital form in their car, allowing them to use the charging points of these operators with the greatest of ease. The new Multi-Contract Plug & Charge function can be made available via Remote Software Upgrade for all BMW i7 models manufactured since July 2022 and all BMW iX models built since March 2023.
Activating the MAX RANGE function extends the range by a comfortable margin for the journey to an alternative charging point for the high-voltage battery. This is achieved by, among other things, limiting the vehicle’s top speed to 90 km/h (56 mph) at the same time as disabling features such as the climate control, seat heating and steering wheel heating. The new MAX RANGE function can be made available via Remote Software Upgrade for all BMW i7 models manufactured since July 2022 and all BMW iX models built since March 2023
The high-voltage battery in the BMW iX can now also be charged more efficiently thanks to the same upgraded charging software already used in the BMW i7. Here, careful control of the charging rate results in shorter charging times. The new charging software can also be imported into all BMW iX models manufactured since March 2023 via Remote Software Upgrade.
Other cars that can be updated to BMW Operating System 8.5 at a later stage via Remote Software Upgrade: BMW 7 Series from production 07/22; BMW iX from production 03/23; BMW X5, BMW X6, BMW X7. BMW XM, BMW X5 M, BMW X6 M from production 04/23."
I thought I was getting their flagship EV back in 2022 where it would get exciting new features over time. Sadly, I was mistaken -->
"To coincide with the ongoing expansion of the all-electric model line-up, new functions are being made available for all BMW i7 and BMW iX variants in summer 2023 that will make enjoying locally emission-free driving pleasure even easier and more convenient.
The BMW Group is the first carmaker in the world to incorporate multi-contract functionality into this new feature. Customers are able to store their individual vehicle electricity contracts from multiple suppliers in digital form in their car, allowing them to use the charging points of these operators with the greatest of ease. The new Multi-Contract Plug & Charge function can be made available via Remote Software Upgrade for all BMW i7 models manufactured since July 2022 and all BMW iX models built since March 2023.
Activating the MAX RANGE function extends the range by a comfortable margin for the journey to an alternative charging point for the high-voltage battery. This is achieved by, among other things, limiting the vehicle’s top speed to 90 km/h (56 mph) at the same time as disabling features such as the climate control, seat heating and steering wheel heating. The new MAX RANGE function can be made available via Remote Software Upgrade for all BMW i7 models manufactured since July 2022 and all BMW iX models built since March 2023
The high-voltage battery in the BMW iX can now also be charged more efficiently thanks to the same upgraded charging software already used in the BMW i7. Here, careful control of the charging rate results in shorter charging times. The new charging software can also be imported into all BMW iX models manufactured since March 2023 via Remote Software Upgrade.
Other cars that can be updated to BMW Operating System 8.5 at a later stage via Remote Software Upgrade: BMW 7 Series from production 07/22; BMW iX from production 03/23; BMW X5, BMW X6, BMW X7. BMW XM, BMW X5 M, BMW X6 M from production 04/23."