BMW’s wireless charging
BMW has launched the world’s first factory-fitted, fully integrated inductive charging facility for charging the highvoltage battery in a plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Available to customers as an option on the 530e iPerformance in Germany, BMW Wireless Charging consists of the GroundPad (an inductive charging station), that can be installed either in a garage or outdoors, and the CarPad fixed to the underside of the vehicle.
BMW says the contactless transfer of energy between the GroundPad and CarPad is conducted over a distance of around eight centimetres, with the GroundPad generating a magnetic field that induces an electric current in the CarPad, which then charges the battery.
When the vehicle is positioned over the GroundPad the charging process starts automatically after the car is turned off, without any further input from the driver.
BMW says its wireless charging uses the same inductive charging technology already widely used for supplying power to devices such as mobile phones and electric toothbrushes.
The car helps the driver to manoeuvre into the correct parking position using a WiFi connection between the charging station and vehicle.
Once the connection has been made, an overhead view of the car and its surroundings then appears in the car’s display with coloured lines that guide the driver and an icon that shows when the correct parking position for inductive charging has been reached.
And you don’t need to be too accurate either; BMW say the position can deviate by up to seven centimetres longitudinally and up to 14 centimetres laterally.
The GroundPad can also be installed outdoors, where it may be used regardless of the weather conditions.