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BMW said it has made two prototype "Light and
Charge" street lights which combine efficient Light Emitting
Diodes (LED) with the company's ChargeNow recharging stations
for electric cars.
"Seamless charging infrastructure is essential if we want to see
more electric vehicles on the road in our cities in the future,"
Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW
AG, said.
The Munich pilot will install the first charging lights, which
can be grafted straight onto the existing local authority street
lighting infrastructure, BMW said.
These additional charging stations can be used by as many
drivers as possible, regardless of vehicle model and electricity
provider, BMW said.
Two street lights are already installed in front of the BMW
headquarters. Drivers will be able to pay to charge their cars
via a mobile phone app.
BMW has developed some of the most advanced electric cars,
including the i3 city vehicle and i8 hybrid. But electric cars
as a product category have struggled to gain widespread
popularity due to their limited operating range, the scarcity of
charging stations and the time it takes to recharge them.
BMW and other car makers are increasingly expanding their
know-how of electric cars and related technology that could
broaden their appeal.
In addition to developing street lighting, BMW has already
invested into software and applications that help drivers of
electric cars find a parking space and charging stations,
including investments into Justpark.com and the SLAM charging
network.
BMW executives recently met with rival Tesla Motors to discuss
the availability of electric vehicle charging stations.
In September, Daimler said it had bought mytaxi and RideScout,
two smartphone applications that will help the maker of
Mercedes-Benz limousines provide services to people who do not
own cars.
(Reporting by Edward Taylor. Editing by Jane Merriman)
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