BMW Shows Off Home Charging Solutions At CES

2015 BMW i8 (Credit: BMW)

BMW is using the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to show off its latest vehicle charging solution: BMW i Home Charging Services. The new technology is designed to help people who own electric and plug-in hybrid BMW models to make better use of the ability to charge their vehicle at home.

The solution leverages the BMW i Wallbox Pro system, which was first revealed back in the spring of 2014. Part of the technology’s genius is that the car will first be charged using electricity gathered through solar panels at the house. Not only that, i Home Charging Services supplies solar power forecasts and adjusts vehicle charging behavior accordingly. The feature means that owners know their driving is not contributing to additional fossil fuel combustion and the resulting pollution. It also means that the electricity used to charge the car is essentially free, not taking into account the cost of the panels.

When solar power isn’t available, the I Home Charging system sets up the car to charge when the local utility’s electricity rates are at their lowest. That means owners still pay less to charge their vehicle, without having to actively manage the situation. They just plug the car in and the technology takes care of the rest.

Other automakers have been working on smart charging solutions for a while, but so far the technology is still in the development process. Still, demonstrations like the one BMW put on at CES are encouraging since it shows that the reality of having such vehicle charging management solutions in the hands of consumers is not too distant future. That future might be even close than you might suspect, because BMW claims that i Home Charging Services will be market-ready by 2016.

In case anyone is wondering, according to BMW a group of solar panels that measure about 25 square meters can actually supply a significant amount of energy. The automaker estimates that in the average year it would generate enough electricity to allow someone to drive a car like the i3 about 19,800 miles.