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BMW and Daimler Working Together for Inductive Charging of EVs

A couple of weeks back, BMW had a meeting with Tesla representatives just after the American company announced that their patents are available to every manufacturer out there that is interested in using them. The goal of that meeting was never disclosed but with the recent announcement the Germans made, it’s quite easy to figure it out.
BMW Inductive Charging 6 photos
Photo: bmw
BMW Inductive ChargingBMW Inductive ChargingBMW Inductive ChargingBMW Inductive ChargingBMW Inductive Charging
In recent press release, the Munich-based company talks about its commitment to inductive charging for plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles and how it’s supposed to change the future, bringing further clues as to what that meeting might’ve been all about.

Nonetheless, the progress they recorded is more than impressive, especially since, apparently, Daimler joined in and promised to develop the technology with their eternal rivals for a standardized technology.

So far, the Germans managed to create a system comprised of two components: a secondary coil in the vehicle’s floor and a base plate with a primary coil that sits under the car. Due to the special arrangement of the two components, the charging is 90 percent efficient and has a potential rate of 3.6 kW per hour. Therefore, most batteries in plug-in hybrids could be charged in 3 hours.

Of course, the obvious advantage of this kind of charging is the cable-free setup that reliefs you from worries. All you have to do is park the car above the primary coil and press a button and the charging will start automatically. As we said, you only need to park your car, you don’t need a garage.

That’s because BMW claims that rain or even snow don’t have a negative effect on the power feed. However, they do mention that if any foreign bodies are detected, the charging stops immediately. So, if there are leaves or twigs in the way, your car won’t charge? That’s something they didn’t specify.

The researchers are hoping to even raise the charging capacity in the future to 7kW, nearly double the amount it is capable of today. Of course, we’ll have to wait to see even the 3.6 kW model out but it’s still quite an interesting proposition for the future. And with a standardized design, you could charge your Mercedes at your friend’s house who has a BMW. That’s something nobody would say no to.
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