The German manufacturer BMW strikes a big blow by proposing the induction recharge on the BMW 530e iPerformance, rechargeable hybrid sedan. It will take 3h30 to recharge the battery.
World premiere for German BMW which will offer optional induction wireless charging. For now, only one model is concerned, this is the 530th iPerformance, plug-in hybrid sedan. Experimented in 2017, this induction refill is in the form of a removable plate that can be installed in the garage or outdoors. It resists any weather condition and carries the weight of a car.
(Photo Credit Halo Qualcomm)
The inside of the plate is equipped with a coil that is also found in the lower part of the BMW. Once the car is correctly positioned (via the iDrive system displaying parking assistance lines) above the plate, the two coils then generate a magnetic field with a maximum power of 3.2 kW. The battery of 9.6 kWh of the sedan is then recharged in 3h30.
The ConnectedDrive screen is used to guide the pile-hair car above the plate. (BMW Photo Credit)
As for the price of this option, no tariff has been communicated, but it should be slightly above that of a Wallbox (600 to 700 €).
The possibility of recharging via induction should be extended to the 330e, 740e, i8 and future i8 Spyder models whose release is announced for 2018.
Induction recharge already in action in Formula-E
In the foreground, the BMW i8, safety car. (Photo credits BMW)
While BMW is a world first, induction charging has already proved its worth in other circles, including Formula-E, the Formula-E World Championship. Indeed, the safety-car , a BMW i8, is recharged via a plate whose technology was developed by Halo Qualcomm, a branch of the eponymous group.
For its part, Audi is also working on the issue, notably to recharge its e-tron range.