The German automaker has just unveiled a smart car charger that’s able to switch between different power sources, and can prioritize these sources depending on several factors.
When BMW launched the i8 electric vehicle, it presented it along with a solar-powered carport that could provide electricity not only for the car, but also for a nearby home. All in all, the solar carport sounded like a great idea (though not as good as Volvo’s Pure Tension Pavilion), the sole problem being that after spending a small fortune on an EV such as the i8, many might be left without any money for the fancy charging station like that. With that in mind, BMW proceeded to offering a more affordable alternative, and recently it even gave its electric car charger a facelift.
The new BMW smart electric car charger comes with boosted performance and gets along quite nicely with smart homes. Known as i Wallbox Pro, this charger will probably be sold in parallel with the i Wallbox Pure, just for the sake of diversity. Its power has been increased to 7.4 KW, and it also sports a 7″ touchscreen display because everything is better when you get visual feedback to whatever actions you’re taking.
On the display you can see the charging status, data on the previous charges, as well as the load on the home power supply. BMW assumes that once a member of a family buys one of their cars, the others should and must follow the trend. On one hand, it would be a bit stupid to have three different chargers for EVs, especially since the i Wallbox Pro offers support for three different cars or users. The charger even has motion sensors that turn it on automatically when people are sensed near it.
What makes the i Wallbox Pro truly intelligent is its ability to switch between the grid and electricity produced by an array of solar panels. It can be furthermore integrated with smart home systems such as myGEKKO, and will charge the car when low-rate tariffs are activated.
BMW seems to be on fire in terms of assuring some diversity for its i3 and i8 customers. Out of the three chargers available on the market now, it’s virtually impossible not to find one that matches your taste and needs, assuming that BMW’s EVs match your wallet.
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