Anyone that has ever had to charge an electric car knows how annoying it is to deal with the charging wires, but BMW has just fixed this. BMW has announced that the 2018 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid will be available with a new wireless charging system.
Instead of having to plug a charger into the charging port, you simply position the 530e iPerformance over the charging pad. The wireless charging system consists of a base pad with integrated primary coil – which can be installed in a garage, or in the open – and a secondary coil integrated in the underside of the 530e. An alternating magnetic field is generated between the two coils, through which electricity is transmitted without cables or contacts at a charge rate of up to 3.2 kW. Using the wireless charger will only take about three-and-a-half hours to charge the 530e.
To help you position the car perfectly over the charging pad, the infotainment system has a setting that will show the charger’s alignment on the screen.
Related: BMW to add 100 EV Charging Stations at U.S. National Parks
The 530e iPerformance also comes with BMW Digital Charging Service, a service providing forward-thinking, comfortable and cost-efficient charging that is optimized for the use of green energy. On each occasion, the charging process is managed so that the vehicle always has access to full battery capacity at the required departure time – and, if desired, allows the cabin temperature to be pre-conditioned.
The BMW Digital Charging Service is based on two core functions: optimizing battery charging in terms of both tariffs and the use of solar power. With tariff-optimized charging, the service adjusts the vehicle charging plan to the customer’s electricity tariff, so the process incurs the lowest possible electricity cost. If the customer has a BMW Wallbox Connect, solar-optimized charging allows electricity generated by their home solar power system to be prioritized for charging.
For a refresher, the BMW 530e iPerformance is powered by a 2.0L plug-in hybrid system that generates a total 252 hp 310 lb-ft. The BMW 530e iPerformance reaches 62 mph in 6.2 seconds, has a top speed of 146 mph and can travel up to 31 miles in EV mode.
Source: BMW