BMW will unveil their I Home
Charging services, a product from its 360° ELECTRIC portfolio at the Consumer
Electronics Show CES 2015 in Las Vegas. The technology of home charging of electric and plug-in hybrid
BMW models is based on the smart home-enabled BMW i Wallbox Pro system already
presented by BMW in early 2014.
BMW will demonstrate the
technology of BMW i Home Charging Services at the show in Las Vegas, which was
jointly developed by BMW and Beegy, a provider for distributed
energy-management, based on the Beegy Software Platform. In this demonstration,
a solar carport supplies solar power straight to the BMW i Wallbox, which uses
it to charge the vehicle. The system also uses real-time solar power data and
home energy data supplied by Solarwatt and Kiwigrid. A screen will display
real-time weather data, together with solar power forecasts, showing visitors
how BMW uses such forecasts to optimally manage charging times. Even if the sun
is not shining, real-time electricity pricing data from Genability can be used
to ensure that the vehicle is charged when electricity rates are at their
cheapest.
Julian Lienich, BMW’s Project Manager
stated: “Our aim is to make mobility as cheap as possible for users and to
allow them to maximise their use of green power – but without having to
organise everything themselves.”
How the smart
charging service works
Using BMW i Home Charging
Services, the vehicle is charged with home-generated solar power whenever this
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. This makes it possible to take advantage of flexible electricity
pricing that varies depending on the time of day. In the USA, this can result
in savings of up to 800 dollars a year. With this fully automated charging
service, customers get a simple-to-operate system that integrates vehicle
charging with the household electrical system and online-based data systems.
Optimised costs, optimised energy use and simple operation
BMW i Smart Charging Services
aim to optimise charging costs and – if customers have a home solar generating
system – to make best possible use of home-generated solar power. The fact that
the system is integrated with home energy management systems also makes it
possible to achieve the best possible balance between household electricity
consumption and power used for charging the electric vehicle, thereby helping
customers to achieve further cost savings and to make even more efficient use
of solar energy.
BMW claims that a solar
carport with a roof area of 25 square metres or more can produce enough power
for 32,000 kilometres of electric driving a year (global average). Smart use of
this power will in future provide BMW i customers with a fully self-sufficient
charging solution for their vehicle. This is the world’s first Electric Vehicle
smart charging solution of its type, and BMW is ambitious to put this
technology available to customers by 2016.