December 16, 2015: As the heads of states and environment ministers congregated in Paris recently to sign a mutually agreed upon climate deal (a tough task which has finally been accomplished!), BMW i was recently awarded by United Nations for its breakthroughs.
BMW i is globally involved in the expansion of publicly accessible charging infrastructure for electrically powered vehicles. The Express charging corridors, an initiative to increase access to DC fast charging launched by BMW i and ChargePoint, was recently awarded the United Nations “Momentum for Change” award. The program made efforts in providing EV drivers access to fast chargers along heavily populated and highly trafficked regions on the east and west coast of United States.
By the end of 2015, nearly 100 quick charging stations will have been installed alongside the US American West Coast between Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego and along the East Coast between Washington D. C. and Boston. The charging stations are being installed at a maximum distance of 50 miles from each other, usually in rest areas and in the vicinity of shopping centres, restaurants or leisure facilities. Each station features 50 kW and 24 kW charging respectively. In case of 50 kW the standard-charging cycle e.g. for the BMW i3 only takes around 20 minutes. Special attention was paid to the aspect that all charging stations meet the worldwide CCS Standard and are usable for a wide range of EV’s, and not just by one particular brand.
BMW i is also supporting a wide range of fast charging infrastructure projects on a worldwide basis, currently with a focus on Europe, South Africa, China and Japan. In total, more than 30 projects in more than 25 countries and in cooperation with more than 50 partners for more than 3.000 DC and more than 1.300 AC charging points have been initiated.
