BMW 530e Comes Available With Wireless Charging for California Residents
BMW has launched a pilot wireless charging program specifically for its 530e plug-in hybrid sedan. The program recently came to the U.S. but only to residents of California with limited spots available. The goal of the program is to help BMW study and reduce the potential barriers to electrified car ownership.
VIP BMW Wireless Charging
BMW launched its latest 5 series generation back in 2017. As the "world's most successful business sedan", BMW added a plug-in hybrid variant to green-ify its lineup. Serving up "exemplary environmental credentials", the automaker has launched a wireless charging pilot program to study and reduce barriers to electric car ownership. The program has recently made its way to the U.S., albeit exclusively for California residents with a limited number of spots available. Find out what you need to know about BMW's Wireless Charging program.
Photos courtesy of BMW
Qualified Lessees
If you or someone you know is interested in picking up a BMW 530e and being one of the first to experience wireless vehicle charging, you may qualify for one of 200 spots in the automakers pilot wireless charging program. BMW will send potential customers a questionnaire asking about local electrical grids and garage space to determine eligibility. If eligible, the customer will get a confirmation number to take to one of 33 BMW dealers in California to complete a 36-month lease with the car.
Photos courtesy of BMW
Charging Equipment
Upon confirmation of eligibility for the program, BMW will cover the costs for the installation, maintenance, and de-installation of the Ground Pad Module, or GPM, (the charging pad that sits on the floor). FYI, the GPM must be hardwired to a home’s electric panel and cannot just be plugged into an outlet for obvious reasons. In addition to the GPM, the 530e gets fitted with the Car Pad Module or CPM (the charging receiver) which gets installed as a factory option.
Photos courtesy of BMW
How it Works
How does this wireless charging work? Similar to charging your smartphone without the use of a charging cable, drivers approach the GPM charging pad in the BMW 530e where then the vehicles dashboard displays show a top-down view of the car, with guidance lines to help the driver position the vehicle appropriately. BMW says an alternating magnetic field is generated between the two coils between the GPM and CPM, through which electricity is transmitted without cables or contacts at a charge rate of up to 3.2 kW. At 3.2 kW, it will take roughly 3.5 hours to fully charge the 530e’s 9.2 kW battery pack.
Photos courtesy of BMW
Powertrain
All this talk about the charging of this BMW 530e, we can't neglect to discuss the specs of its powertrain. The BMW 530e is powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-four coupled to an electric motor, a lithium-ion battery, and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2.0-liter turbo on its own is good for 135 kW/184 hp and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque, and the electric motor puts out 83 kW/113 hp and places maximum torque of 250 Nm (184 lb-ft). Together, the system generates a combined output of 248 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque.
Photos courtesy of BMW
Range
Motor Trend says the BMW 530e on a single charge can travel up to 16 miles in EV mode while the 530e xDrive (AWD) can go up to 15 miles before the gas engine kicks in. The vehicle features reconfigurable dash and center display screens that help coach drivers to maximize the power and range potential of the BMW 530e. The 12.2-gallon tank is good for a claimed 372-mile range.
Photos courtesy of BMW
Final Say
If "going green" is a primary consideration on your car shopping quest, BMW says the 530e is ISO certified based on ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. This means the vehicle's environmental impact is 15 percent lower than that of the BMW 530i powered purely by a combustion engine, and 47 percent lower if only renewably generated power is used to charge the high-voltage battery. According to Motor Trend, the PHEV package costs a very reasonable $200 (with zero deletions from the standard equipment list). For context, the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 costs $10,700 more. In short, you get a more environmentally friendly, luxury performance sedan, with hardware installation, costs, and maintenance covered by BMW. Even if drivers only partake in BMW's program for the term of the 36-month lease, it seems like a hard deal to pass up on if you or someone you know lives in California and is in the market for a sedan like the BMW 530e.
Photos courtesy of BMW