BMW has launched a new Smart Charging App, which allows drivers to automatically identify the best rates and times for charging their EVs at home. The new app is integrated with the existing BMW i Remote App, and is available for Android and iOS devices. Through a connection to a national… Read more »
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May plug-in sales: LEAF, Prius and Fusion Energi surge, BMW i3 makes strong debut
Cars were burning rubber off dealers’ lots all over the US in May, as five sunny weekends gave the typically strong month an extra boost. Overall auto sales were up 11% compared to May 2013, a nine-year high. Plug-ins rode the trend, setting an all-time monthly record – 12,053 Americans charged up new cars in… Read more »
How green is BMW’s carbon fiber?
BMW has placed big bets on carbon fiber – it’s a critical component of the i3 and the upcoming i8, and the company has hinted that it may use it in some of its legacy models as well. But is the miracle material really all that green? According to WardsAuto, (unspecified) critics say that carbon… Read more »
BMW joint venture to double – wait, make that triple – carbon fiber production
Back in February, we reported that SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, a joint venture between BMW and the SGL Group, was planning to double the capacity of its carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake, Washington. Well, they’re not. They’re going to triple it. The $300-million site expansion, to be completed by early 2015, will bring production… Read more »
BMW delivers first US i3 as California makes REx version eligible for full rebate
There’s a new kid in the EV pool, and there’s every reason to believe it’s going to make a big splash. BMW proudly announced the first delivery of an i3 to a US customer this week. A Boston university professor and ActiveE “electronaut” drove his new i3 off the lot on May 2. Demand for… Read more »
Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive priced to compete with BMW i3
Mercedes-Benz has dribbled out a few more details about its eagerly-awaited B-Class Electric Drive, which is scheduled to arrive in eight US states this summer. The latest news: MSRP will be $41,450, almost exactly the same as that of the BMW i3. The Beemer, which went on sale in the US this month, appears to… Read more »
BMW boosts i3 production to meet higher demand
When we drove BMW’s new i3 in Los Angeles last year, we could see that it had the potential to be one of the most popular EVs on the market. As the sporty city car heads for dealers’ lots this month, demand appears to be exceeding expectations. Harald Krueger, BMW’s production chief, told Bloomberg that… Read more »
Tom Gage on ZEV mandates, Tesla’s early days, BMW’s EV commitment and V2G tech
Q&A with the EV trailblazer Tom Gage Tom Gage is one of America’s true EV pioneers. He’s perhaps best known as one of the designers of the tzero electric sports car that provided the inspiration for the Tesla Roadster. However, that is far from his only contribution to the electric mobility field. Charged recently caught up… Read more »
BMW X5 plug-in hybrid prototype highlights eDrive strategy
Members of the press took BMW’s X5 eDrive PHEV for a test drive at an event in Germany this week. BMW also presented several elements of its EfficientDynamics strategy, which depends on a combination of ever-more-efficient gasoline and diesel engines with eDrive electrified drive technology developed by the BMW i sub-brand. BMW plans to develop… Read more »
BMW and SGL to double carbon fiber production
BMW and its partner, the SGL Group, plan to invest more than €100 million ($137 million) to double their joint production of carbon fiber to 6,000 metric tons a year, according to German news outlet Handelsblatt. BMW’s new i3 and i8 plug-ins make greater use of lightweight, super-strong carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) than any… Read more »