Photo: gas2.com
Along with this new avalanche of electric vehicles, the world also has to make sure that they can actually be recharged, in order to offer all the advantages companies claim over conventional automobiles. The infrastructure is still under development but when it comes to local chargers there are already a couple of interesting options on the table.
One of them is the Point One S Solar recharging station developed by BMW in collaboration with design and construction company EIGHT.
Unveiled earlier this year, the concept they brought forward is definitely great looking. But can it also offer the performance people expect from it? At a first glance, yes!
At the moment, the only such station in the world is installed at the BMW Welt museum in Munich. Its design was inspired by wings, a metaphor that points to the blue sky and keeping its color for as long as possible.
The idea behind it though, was to offer electricity using a renewable source: sunlight. Do we have to point out that it uses solar cells to gather and store energy and then recharge your i3?
Furthermore, LEDs of various colors were installed underneath the canopy to show approaching cars if the station is available for charging, in use or booked via an app. Therefore, when you’re approaching one you’ll know before hand if you can charge your car or not.
The interaction with the device is made using a modern touch-screen display that shows you how much electricity is available. Of course, depending on the weather, the system can gather more or less energy. The excess is sent to the electrical grid, further reducing the environmental impact.
The whole point of the system is to make charging electric cars attractive and seem less like a boring process. Whether it’s going to be successful or not remains to be seen, but we’ve been enthralled by its design already.
Unveiled earlier this year, the concept they brought forward is definitely great looking. But can it also offer the performance people expect from it? At a first glance, yes!
At the moment, the only such station in the world is installed at the BMW Welt museum in Munich. Its design was inspired by wings, a metaphor that points to the blue sky and keeping its color for as long as possible.
The idea behind it though, was to offer electricity using a renewable source: sunlight. Do we have to point out that it uses solar cells to gather and store energy and then recharge your i3?
Furthermore, LEDs of various colors were installed underneath the canopy to show approaching cars if the station is available for charging, in use or booked via an app. Therefore, when you’re approaching one you’ll know before hand if you can charge your car or not.
The interaction with the device is made using a modern touch-screen display that shows you how much electricity is available. Of course, depending on the weather, the system can gather more or less energy. The excess is sent to the electrical grid, further reducing the environmental impact.
The whole point of the system is to make charging electric cars attractive and seem less like a boring process. Whether it’s going to be successful or not remains to be seen, but we’ve been enthralled by its design already.
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