14 DAY TRIAL // Towards the end of last week, German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company the BMW Group announced plans to make electric cars more popular by having some seriously high-tech streetlights installed in cities all around the world.
As detailed during the Eurocities conference in Munich, Germany, the state-of-the-art streetlights that the BMW Group now has in the works double as charging stations. Thus, they not only illuminate streets, but can also feed power to hungry electric vehicles.
Possibly the coolest streetlights ever
It is understood that, for the time being, two such innovative streetlights are up and running in front of BMW World, a customer experience and exhibition facility that the Group operates in the city of Munich, in Germany.
Admittedly, the units are just prototypes. Still, the company is so pleased with how they are performing that, come 2015, it plans to have several others installed all around Munich. This one-of-a-kind pilot project is expected to debut in spring.
The prototype streetlights currently operating in front of BMW World comprise several LED modules and a connector for electric vehicle charging, Green Car Congress informs. Thus, they ensure lighting and also power up eco-friendly cars.
It is understood that the BMW settled on using LED modules because, when compared to other lighting options, they are more energy-efficient. Besides, they are argued to be more luminous than other light sources folks currently rely on.
The German company claims that, whereas streetlights fitted with one or two LED modules can successfully light residential areas and side streets, units packing four such modules are more than enough to illuminate major roadways.
The streetlights do not stand alone
The Group says that whatever such high-tech streetlights will be installed in cities all across the world in the years to come will be integrated into its ChargeNow network, which enables BMW customers to charge their vehicles at partner stations and pay at the end of the month, after receiving the bill.
The company expects that, together with this innovative network, the high-tech streetlights that it now has in the world will help make electric vehicles a wee more popular. The end goal is to convince more people to opt for an eco-friendly car rather than one powered by dirty fuels.
“Light and Charge is a simple and innovative solution to naturally integrate a reliable network of charging stations in the city. With the ChargeNow map of BMW i, we are creating today access to the world’s largest network of charging stations,” said Peter Black Bauer, member of the BMW's Group board of management.
“We are pleased that we can with our partners to promote the expansion of the charging infrastructure further jointly by the project Light and Charge. Only with a comprehensive charging infrastructure we see the future more electric vehicles in the cities,” he added.
