SOLARWATT GmbH and BMW i will be teaming up to supply combined rooftop and carport photovoltaic solutions for future BMW i customers. The new SOLARWATT CARPORT SYSTEM will offer BMW i3 and BMW i8 owners an attractively designed solar-based electric vehicle charging plus household microgeneration system using innovative glass-glass modules. Various ordering methods will be available: customers can obtain SOLARWATT products at the same time as they purchase their BMW i vehicle or, alternatively, place their order over the internet.
Through the 360° ELECTRIC programme, BMW i will offer solutions for all aspects of electric mobility. Under this banner it has already entered into partnerships with Naturstrom, Schneider Electric and The Mobility House. These partnerships will support the overriding goal of ensuring that, by the launch date, the charging options for the BMW i3 and BMW i8 will include customer-friendly, sustainable and convenient solutions for home garage charging. All these partnerships are centred on the concept of sustainability. Its market launch is scheduled for late 2013.
BMW has not yet said in which markets the SOLARWATT systems will be available, nor has it indicated costs.
For many early electric car owners, powering their vehicle using solar power is the ultimate goal. Smartly, BMW has recognized the pleasure derived from powering one's EV from solar-generated electricity. Accordingly, the German automaker has teamed up with SOLARWATT to supply BMW EV buyers with rooftop photovoltaic solutions, for a nominal fee.
While simplifying the solar power process is a new twist, automakers simplifying EV ownership with an outside partnership isn't. Just last year, Ford and Best Buy's Geek Squad combined forces to provide Ford Focus Electric and Fusion Energi buyers with 240 volt charging stations in their homes. Though the energy was pulled off the grid, the concept was rather genius: take the complexity and confusion out of EV ownership.
The BMW move takes that idea one step further and allows buyers of the soon-to-be-unveiled BMW "i" electric vehicle brand to harness the power of the sun. BMW brags, "The BMW i3 will be the first electric vehicle on the market that has been designed specifically for electric mobility from the outset." What that means exactly, we don't quite know.
Top image: BMW
