BMW has just developed and unveiled a new, fast and cheaper EV charger. The new EV chargers are around the size of a small suit case and are the least expensive EV charger on the market. BMW developed these new chargers because of the success of the rapid charging BMW i3 electric vehicle.
BMW is focusing on marketing the rapid chargers at lower price to entice third-party companies to invest and help create a nationwide charger network. They hope to emulate the nationwide Supercharger network created by Tesla. The advantage that BMW has over Tesla, is their chargers can be used to recharge other car brands electric cars, unlike Telsa’s charger which only work on their brand of vehicles.
The charger are 24-kilowatt and can recharge the i3 power to 80% capacity in half-an-hour. The chargers will cost around $6,500 for any company that wants to partner with BMW. Most fast charger on the market today are around $30,000. Current models of quick chargers can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and be as tall as an adult. The new BMW chargers only weigh 100 pounds and are light enough to be mounted on the wall of a parking garage or building.
The chargers will become available in August and 285 out of the 340 BMW dealerships in the U.S. will have them available.
