Photo: BMW
The increasing success of electric vehicles (EV) is heating up the debate on whether this type of cars is actually a planet-saving technology or just another major polluter.
Those who defend EVs point to the fact that these cars emit zero pollutants while in operation, hence being much cleaner than ice-powered cars.
The detractors point to the fact that the electricity EVs use is usually generated by burning coal or other fossil fuel. The increase in electricity demand to be generated because of the EVs thus offsets the benefits of operating them.
This is the debacle that would probably rage on for ages, or at least until something changes in the way in which we produce electricity. Suppose most of the power used by EVs comes from the sun, the wind or the water. What would detractors say then?
This week, the Global Climate Action Summit took place in San Francisco, California. There, BMW presented the ideas behind its ChargeForward project
ChargeForward is a smart charging program that was launched in 2015 for the BMW i3 together with energy supplier P&G. It supports utility grid efficiencies through management of vehicle charging times, effectively allowing the vehicles’ charging process to be interrupted when there was high demand and restarted when the demand dropped.
This strategy could help stabilize the grid, says BMW, and at the same time make full use of renewable energy. Because most cars are parked in various company parking lots during the day, having them use a smart charging solution might prove to be better than conventional methods.
BMW found that charging a car during the day means about 56 percent of the energy used could ultimately come from renewable sources.
„Our target is to offer charging power generated with the lowest possible CO2 emissions at most attractive prices to drivers of our electric cars", said in a statement Dr. Joachim Kolling, Head of BMW Group Mobility and Energy Services.
The detractors point to the fact that the electricity EVs use is usually generated by burning coal or other fossil fuel. The increase in electricity demand to be generated because of the EVs thus offsets the benefits of operating them.
This is the debacle that would probably rage on for ages, or at least until something changes in the way in which we produce electricity. Suppose most of the power used by EVs comes from the sun, the wind or the water. What would detractors say then?
This week, the Global Climate Action Summit took place in San Francisco, California. There, BMW presented the ideas behind its ChargeForward project
ChargeForward is a smart charging program that was launched in 2015 for the BMW i3 together with energy supplier P&G. It supports utility grid efficiencies through management of vehicle charging times, effectively allowing the vehicles’ charging process to be interrupted when there was high demand and restarted when the demand dropped.
This strategy could help stabilize the grid, says BMW, and at the same time make full use of renewable energy. Because most cars are parked in various company parking lots during the day, having them use a smart charging solution might prove to be better than conventional methods.
BMW found that charging a car during the day means about 56 percent of the energy used could ultimately come from renewable sources.
„Our target is to offer charging power generated with the lowest possible CO2 emissions at most attractive prices to drivers of our electric cars", said in a statement Dr. Joachim Kolling, Head of BMW Group Mobility and Energy Services.
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