BMW partners with State Grid EV on R&D, promotion of charging service, tech

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- German premium automaker BMW Group signed on June 3 an agreement with State Grid Electric Vehicle Service Co., Ltd. (“State Grid EV” for short) for a strategic cooperation on the R&D and innovation of battery charging technologies, the popularization of charging service and products, and the promotion of NEV-used electricity.

The cooperation makes BMW become the first global automobile brand that partners with State Grid EV. Specifically, both parties will make joint efforts to expand charging network, hammer out technical charging standards and construct integrated energy stations. By virtue of the cooperation, BMW is ambitious to build over 270,000 charging piles by the end of 2020, of which 80,000 are DC piles that support the fast-charging mode, and have its charging network cover more than 50,000-km expressways nationwide.

Additionally, BMW Group and State Grid EV will co-explore the cutting-edge charging technologies, formulate the technical standards aimed at high-power charging equipment, and study the plug-and-play technology and the interaction among vehicles, charging piles and networks. BMW envisages that the batteries of an all-electric vehicle might be sufficiently charged within only 10 to 20 minutes in the future.

Two companies also plan to jointly build energy stations that integrate functions of battery charging, photovoltaic power generation and energy storage, which is capable of charging EVs using solar power. The first-of-it-kind is expected to be launched this year.

The German automaker is about to offer consumers the “one-stop” digital charging experience. That is to say, users are allowed to seek charging piles, charge their vehicles and do the payment through BMW's cloud-based connected application. On the other hand, BMW will tailor services for consumers leveraging the data collected that show users' behaviors and preferences.

As part of the electrification strategy, BMW will roll out six NEV models this year, and vigorously develop the eDrive technology, dealership network, charging facilities and digital services in the world's largest auto market, according to Jochen Goller, President and CEO of BMW Group Region China (photo source: State Grid EV).