Photo: bmw
It seems like the engineers working in Munich are really being pushed to find all sorts of innovative solutions to solve people’s problems with electric vehicle charging. As it turns out, that’s still the main problem people complain about.
The truth of the matter is most people don’t have a nice yard or a garage to allow them to charge their cars comfortably at home. Therefore, the urban jungle where cars like the i3 and i8 are usually found, has to provide a solution.
According to various reports the Bavarian manufacturer wants to use streetlight poles to allow ‘electric drivers’ to plug in their rides. In Germany, for example, most of them use solar power to light up at night and the same could be done to recharge the i3, for example.
The cables are already in place and with small alterations this whole thing could become reality in the near future: “Seamless charging infrastructure is essential if we want to see more electric vehicles on the road in our cities in the future,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer member of the board of management of BMW.
Of course, problems could also arise if this is to be taken to the next level. For example, not all countries allow you to park right next to lampposts and varying legislation might forbid you to park anywhere close to them, actually. Using an extremely long charging cable also wouldn’t make sense but hopefully, these will all be exceptions from the rule. Furthermore, it wouldn't be free, owners having to pay by using their smartphones, making the whole process easier to go through.
In the meantime, the Germans are working on it and the first results should come in the following weeks. Let’s hope they will be positive, allowing us to get rid of some of the range anxiety experienced by EV drivers.
According to various reports the Bavarian manufacturer wants to use streetlight poles to allow ‘electric drivers’ to plug in their rides. In Germany, for example, most of them use solar power to light up at night and the same could be done to recharge the i3, for example.
The cables are already in place and with small alterations this whole thing could become reality in the near future: “Seamless charging infrastructure is essential if we want to see more electric vehicles on the road in our cities in the future,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer member of the board of management of BMW.
You could, pay with your phone and go about your business
At first, a pilot will be run in Munich, to see how people react and how the infrastructure would hold up. If the results are encouraging, the program could be expanded basically turning every lamppost into a car-charging socket. As we speak, there’re two such poles in use in front of BMW’s headquarters in their hometown but by next year, the number should grow consistently.Of course, problems could also arise if this is to be taken to the next level. For example, not all countries allow you to park right next to lampposts and varying legislation might forbid you to park anywhere close to them, actually. Using an extremely long charging cable also wouldn’t make sense but hopefully, these will all be exceptions from the rule. Furthermore, it wouldn't be free, owners having to pay by using their smartphones, making the whole process easier to go through.
In the meantime, the Germans are working on it and the first results should come in the following weeks. Let’s hope they will be positive, allowing us to get rid of some of the range anxiety experienced by EV drivers.
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