BMW has unveiled its new BMW i Home Charging Services platform at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The broad-based EV smart charging solution, which offers home charging of the automaker’s electric and plug-in hybrid models, will be available to customers by 2016.
Showcased last year in the form of BMW’s DesignWorksUSA solar carport concept, the fully automated charging service is based on the smart home-enabled BMW i Wallbox Pro system, and offers both solar and grid power charging.
The vehicle is charged by home-generated solar power if that is available. At other times, or if the household does not have a solar generating system, the vehicle is automatically charged at the cheapest off-peak rates from power off the grid. The Wallbox indicates the amount of solar energy that goes into the car and provides an analysis of recent charging processes, which shows the respective proportions of solar and grid power.
The automaker says that a solar carport with a roof area of 25 sq metres or more can produce enough power for 32,000 km of electric driving a year, and there are cost benefits as well – in the US, this can result in savings of up to US$800 a year off the electricity bill.
At the CES, the i Home demonstration is also showing off a concept stationary energy home storage system, built from repurposed batteries previously used in BMW i electric vehicles. The system allows storage of power, for example through solar generation, which can subsequently be used to charge an electric vehicle or to meet household power needs.
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Now we need to build houses with charging point.
For those parked outside condo how?
If I live in a condo, hopefully the condo’s management will allowed me to build this charging point at my car park lot.
High chance JMB will approve this due to lack of support…confirm majority will not be owning EVs unless you live in ultra high end condo which includes charging stations built by the developer themselves.
if u driving this car, i think u can afford a landed house, but mayb far fr kl. u can just restructure current front yard into d charging point with solar panel. suitable for hot weather country like msia.
In some country, even a millionaire is living in a condo but it is a very high end, high class condo. Maybe in such condo, their parking lot is big enough. And this charging point is not only for i8, it also for the i3.
I love the technology.