Renewables could soon power your everyday life
LIVING off the electricity grid for your home and car could become a short-term reality.
With appeals for greener automotive government incentives falling on deaf ears, expect the motoring industry to partner with renewable energy partners providing solar and wind solutions to fuel people’s lives.
The pace of improvement is insatiable. The rising popularity of large-scale home battery systems, including Tesla’s Powerwall, can store unused energy generated by solar panels or small wind turbines.
Not only can that power be used to run the home but also vehicles.
BMW is at the forefront of electric hybrid technology. It now has six electrified models on sale – including the full electric i3, with a real-world range of 200km.
Fresh from launching the 530e sedan, a The i3 is now the most popular BMW sold in Norway. plug-in hybrid with a standalone electric range of 32km and backed by a four-cylinder engine, the brand’s anticipation for the electric future is one of when, not if.
“Energy companies and property developers are talking to us about how they can best prepare for the future,” BMW Australia future mobility manager Brendan Michel said.
Expect complete solutions to follow. BMW would not confirm any deals or concepts but package deals whereby prospective electrified vehicle owners could bundle a household power wall are believed to be on the drawing board.
According to the 2016 Australia Clean Energy Report, the average size home solar system is 5.5kW.
Users can expect between 15–26kWh from a 5kW system, depending on the time of year and solar panel angles. With the average home using about 16kWh a day, at the system’s peak it could also fill the 7.4kWh need in the new BMW 530e’s lithium-ion battery without having to tap into the grid.