World Car News #Update
German and world renowned Auto maker and brand, BMW have become the first in the Auto market to offer wireless charging for an electric vehicle. A 530e iPerformance that will power up through an inductive charging station called a GroundPad has been made available from the 28th of May.
The GroundPad, connects to its car equivalent (called a CarPad) underneath the car and transfers energy over a distance of roughly eight centimetres via a magnetic field. This creates an electric current in the CarPad which subsequently charges the battery with a 3.2Kw of charging power and an efficiency rating of 85 per cent, it takes around three and a half hours to fully charge the 530e. Charging automatically starts once the car engine has been turned off and stops once the battery is at 100%.
The GroundPad is designed for multiple weather conditions, meaning that it can be installed outdoors, as well as in a garage. All GroundPad components that conduct electricity are protected from rain and snow.
Cars owners can also run it over without causing damage, though it has also been designed with park assist functionality. Once there is a Wi-Fi connection between the car and the GroundPad, a birds eye view of the car will pop up on the control display – including lines that guide the driver towards the correct parking position for charging.
The GroundPad is currently available in BMW 530e iPerformance vehicles in Germany and will be rolled out to the UK, US, Japan and China in the near future.