BMW i has launched new wireless charging system for 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Production of the BMW Wireless Charging will begin this July.
The new system also comes with leasing option for the BMW 530e iPerformance. It will be available in Germany initially and will later be available in the UK, the US, Japan and China.
The BMW Wireless Charging will enable electricity from the mains supply to be transmitted to the vehicle’s high voltage battery without any cables, when it is positioned over the base pad.
It can be installed in a garage and the charging process starts as soon as the vehicle is parked in the position.
With this launch, BMW said that it has taken another step to an infrastructure that can make battery charging for an electric vehicle much easier.
This inductive charging works by installing the Inductive Charging Station (GroundPad), which will be installed in a garage or outdoors and a secondary vehicle component (CarPad) which will be fixed to the underside of the vehicle.
This contactless transfer of energy between the GroundPad and CarPad takes place over a distance of around 8cm. The GroundPad generates electricity and in the CarPad, an electric current is induced, which in turn charges the batteries.
BMW claims that the system has a charging power of 3.2kW, which lets the batteries on a BMW 530e iPerformance to be fully charged in around three-and-a-half hours. The efficiency rate of the system is also claimed to be around 85%.
As per the German automaker, the wireless charging system is easy to use and with this technology around, drivers no longer have to hook up their vehicles with a cable to charge them.
Instead, the charging will begin, when the vehicle is correctly positioned above the inductive charging station and with the touch of a Start/Stop button. Once the charging process is completed, the system will switch off automatically.
The system will also help the driver in maneuvering the vehicle into the correct parking position. WiFi is used to communicate between the charging station and the vehicle that is being positioned. The overhead view of the car and its surrounding will appear in the Control Display with coloured lines that guide the driver while parking.
