In years gone by it seemed that EV manufacturers, EV retailers and recharging network providers were happy to be at loggerheads with each other rather than working together. We saw an array of charging technologies hit the market with different protocols and different companies decided to go in very different directions. Slowly but surely, as the electric the industry continues to develop, recharging network providers are now looking to work with electric vehicle manufacturers. The latest such deal involves the BMW i3 which is the company's first all-electric production vehicle.

 

So, what will BMW i3 owners have access to and why do many believe it is a revolutionary deal for not only BMW but the electric vehicle market?

 

BMW has announced that its ConnectedDrive navigation system has fully incorporated ChargePoint's charging network location system. This ensures that BMW electric vehicle drivers now, and in the future, will be able to see at a glance which ChargePoint facilities are within their range and perhaps more importantly, which ones are busy and which ones are free. On the surface this may sound fairly irrelevant but when you bear in mind the time it takes to fully charge, or even partially recharge, an electric vehicle battery, the last thing you want to do is be stuck in a queue.

 

While this facility will be available within the car, BMW also revealed that it will be part of the company's remote mobile application. This will give BMW i3 drivers access to the ChargePoint network on the move and allow them to plan ahead in relation to their journey.