BMW i Smart Charging Services aim to optimise charging costs and – if customers have a home solar generating system – to make best possible use of home-generated solar power. Using BMW i Home Charging Services, the vehicle is charged with home-generated solar power whenever this is available. At other times, or if the household does not have a solar generating system, the vehicle is automatically charged at the cheapest off-peak rates. This makes it possible to take advantage of flexible electricity pricing that varies depending on the time of day. With this fully automated charging service, customers get a system that integrates vehicle charging with the household electrical system and online-based data systems.
The BMW i home charging services was jointly developed with Beegy, a provider for distributed energy management, based on the Beegy Software Platform. The system also uses real-time solar power data and home energy data supplied by Solarwatt and Kiwigrid. Even if the sun is not shining, real-time electricity pricing data from genability can be used to ensure that the vehicle is charged when electricity rates are at their cheapest.
The fact that the system is integrated with home energy management systems also makes it possible to achieve the best possible balance between household electricity consumption and power used for charging the electric vehicle, thereby helping customers to achieve further cost savings and to make even more efficient use of solar energy. A solar carport with a roof area of 25 square metres or more can produce enough power for 32,000 kilometres of electric driving a year on a global average. (nhp)
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