BMW Introduces Inductive Charging On The 530e
BMW has announced that it will launch the inductive charging system for its electrified 5 Series 530e i-Performance. The mechanism consists of a Ground-pad that can be installed on a garage floor or outdoors, and a Car Pad, which is attached to the vehicle undercarriage and connected to the lithium-ion battery. The screen of the car helps the driver to position the car directly over the Ground-pad (the system allows a distance of up to three inches forward and backward and about five and a half inches from side to side). Once the car is properly placed, the driver presses a start button and wireless charging begins. The system automatically turns off when the battery is empty. Full charging of the 9.2 kWh battery of the 530e takes about three and a half hours and has a claimed efficiency of 85 percent. BMW says that this is similar to the speed of its main level 2 charger.The inductive charging option is not offered for any other BMW plug-in models. It is available exclusively for...