BMW Develops Street Lights That Can Charge Electric Cars

 Electric Vehicles  

Tackling the issue of infrastructure for electric vehicles, BMW has announced a pilot program of street light charging stations.

The global introduction and adoption of electric vehicles depends largely on the existence of supporting infrastructure, and it's clear that until there is a wide network of charging stations in place, the market for electric vehicles will not see a significant growth. While most charging stations that are currently in place have been installed by electric utility companies and public authorities, the auto industry, itself, must contribute and help develop the charging infrastructure further. German luxury car maker BMW, for one, has decided to actively join the efforts for upgrading the infrastructure and give EV owners more charging opportunities, with a relatively simple and affordable solution, that's much more cost-effective than the conventional charging stations.

"Seamless charging infrastructure is essential if we want to see more electric vehicles on the road in our cities in the future."

BMW has launched a pilot program to test its new “street light” charging stations, that rely on the existing infrastructure, instead of installation of dedicated stations. The company has developed a system called “Light and Charge” - LED street lights equipped with sockets that can charge electric cars, a solution that could help EV owners charge their cars much more easily. The two prototype street light stations combine BMW's ChargeNow EV charging stations and LED technology, and were already installed in the company's home town Munich, in front of its headquarters.

"Seamless charging infrastructure is essential if we want to see more electric vehicles on the road in our cities in the future," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, a BMW board of management member, according to Reuters.

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The Light and Charge street lights will be publicly available, and everyone who owns an electric vehicle, regardless of the model, will be able to use them, and pay for the electricity through a smartphone app. The app does more than just charge users – it can notify them when their car battery is fully charged, so they don't have to sit in their car waiting, and use that time to run errands, instead.

This solution could revolutionize the way people charge their electric cars and make the process much more convenient, which will surely make EVs more appealing to consumers, given that limited charging opportunities are one of the leading obstacles to a faster adoption of these alternative fuel vehicles.

With the introduction of this project, BMW continues to demonstrate its determination to help increase the popularity of electric vehicles, and make them a more viable alternative to conventional cars. The German manufacturer already introduced two plug-in models – the i3 five-door hatchback and the i8 two-door coupe – which have been selling relatively well, and it's one of the most serious potential competitors to Tesla in the electric vehicle market. In the meantime, BMW is trying to further develop electric vehicle technology and extend battery life, and cut charge times. Also, they have developed a software that helps EV owners find the nearest charging stations, in collaboration with Car Charging Group, a U.S. company that provides EV charging services, which can be used through BMW's ConnectedDrive navigation system.

By Jordan Perch

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Author Bio - 33rd Square contributor Jordan Perch is an automotive fanatic and “safe driving” specialist. He is a writer for DMV.com, which is a collaborative community designed to help ease the stress and annoyance of “dealing with the DMV”