BMW develops street lighting with charging points for electric cars

Car manufacturer BMW is developing lampposts that can also be used to charge electric cars. The project is to be rolled out as a pilot in Munich in 2015. The additional charging points must be suitable for all electric cars.

The current lampposts can remain in use, Reuters news agency reported. BMW is going to equip existing light posts with suitable sockets. It is essential that the charging facilities for electric cars are in order, according to the company, in order to eventually get more such vehicles on the road. All road users who have an electric car should therefore be able to use the extra charging points, regardless of the brand.

BMW has already developed two Light and Charge poles. They are placed in front of the headquarters of the German car manufacturer. LED lights are combined with the company’s ChargeNow charging stations. How that works exactly or what it will look like is still unknown. It is clear that motorists can charge their electric vehicle in exchange for an unknown amount. Payment must be made via an app.

ChargeNow is part of ChargePoint, which claims to be the largest electric vehicle charging network. The organization would have more than nineteen thousand charging points worldwide. Special ChargeNow cards give drivers easy access to the connected charging stations.

The project is to be rolled out in 2015. Munich is the first city to test the Light and Charge poles. There is no mention of cities that may follow.