German automobile manufacturer, BMW is attempting to make it easier to charge an electric car on the go as the company unveiled the prototype "Light and Charge" streetlight. At its headquarters, the company already installed the first two prototype charging station built into a streetlight.
BMW, a Munich-based car maker, said Friday that it has developed streetlights equipped with sockets to charge electric cars. According to Reuters, the company also said it will run a pilot project in Munich next year that uses existing local authority lighting networks.
BMW has developed some of the most advanced electric cars, including the i3 city vehicle and i8 hybrid. However, as a product category, electric cars have struggled to gain general acceptance due to their short traveling distances, long charging times and few charging stations.
BMW, which makes advanced electric cars, said the prototype charging stations combines efficient Light Emitting Electrodes (LED) streetlights with the company's ChargeNow recharging stations. As said by Gas2.org, paying for the charge will be as easy as using a mobile phone application and the chargers won't take up any more space than an average urban streetlamp.
"Seamless charging infrastructure is essential if we want to see more electric vehicles on the road in our cities in the future," BMW AG Board of Management member Peter Schwarzenbauer said.
BMW also added the Munich pilot will install the first charging lights, which can be attached straight on the existing local authority street-lighting structure. These additional charging stations can be utilized by as many drivers as possible, regardless of vehicle model and electricity provider.
BMW and other automobile manufacturers are progressively expanding their knowledge of electric cars and related technology that could widen their appeal. CNET said several car makers are now building electric vehicles (EVs) with Nissan and General Motors, along with BMW joining the trend.
However, such cars have yet to reach the mainstream due to a variety of reasons such as limited operating range, the scarcity of charging stations and the time it takes to recharge them. BMW's determination seems to follow the footsteps of electric car manufacturer Tesla, which is already building out its own charging station setup.
While Tesla's stations are made for Tesla cars only, it appears that BMW is working on technology that is open to a variety of vehicles. However, car makers and charging-station manufacturers are still in a battle over some of the standards needed for charging stations, which means some public charging stations will only work for a specific car-type.
Besides developing street lighting, BMW has already invested into software and applications that help electric car drivers find a parking space and charging stations, including investments into Justpark.com and the SLAM charging network.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
