BMW has launched the world’s first wireless charging pad, which employs inductive charging for plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Owners of the 530e iPerformance will be able to now park over the pad and charge the vehicle’s battery through that, rather than plugging it into the wall.
According to BMW, this will help to make owning electrified vehicles much easier as this form of recharging is much simpler than refuelling a conventional car with a combustion engine.
Using the GroundPad and CarPad in conjunction, the system can recharge the battery of a 530e in three-and-a-half hours with charging power of 3.2 kW.
BMW predicts that this system could be much more reliable and easier to use than a standard public charging point, as all the customer would need to do is start the charging process after manoeuvring over the pad, and then when the battery was charged the system would shut off automatically.
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The GroundPad can be installed outside, as all of the important electrical equipment is waterproofed and protected from the elements. The car can also use the charging pad as a reference point when parking, as the car will recognise where it is and guide the driver into the right space.
First being launched in Germany, the Wireless Charging system will be launched in the UK, the US, Japan and China later in the year.
Production for the system starts in July.
