A top BMW executive has said the success of electric vehicles hinges not on the development of a public charging infrastructure but on the willingness of consumers to have charging ports installed at their homes.
BMW board member Herbert Diess said that to WardsAuto.com ahead of the May launch in the US of the i3 4-passenger EV, adding buyers likely would drive it short distances in urban areas and would not need other sources of electricity away from home.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Based on usage of BMW’s early test EVs – a Mini and a 1-Series – Diess said “very few people would use public charging.”
BMW UK earlier told just-auto the Mini and 1 Series EVs were extensively trialled by ‘real world’ users in the US ahead of the i3 launch and usage patterns closely monitored. Among notable conclusions was that ‘range anxiety’ diminished with growing familiarity with and confidence in the vehicles.
Diess told Wards he’d driven an i3 for more than a year.
“And not once have I touched public charging.”
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataHe said parts of northern Europe rapidly are building an infrastructure for plug-ins. For instance, Amsterdam expects to have 2,000 public charging stations by the end of next year.
But as European customers take deliveries of the i3, Diess said “this public infrastructure is not really very important because most people are charging their cars at home.”
Home charging is more convenient and eliminates anxiety about the availability of a public dock, an issue bound to crop up as EVs proliferate.
A BMW official in the UK told just-auto.com recently that multiple providers was also a problem with owners having to carry several user cards to be sure of obtaining a public point recharge.
In the UK, the i ‘electromobility’ brand has agreed a deal with Schneider Electric as manufacturer and recommended installer of a wallbox charger.
Diess told Wards most EVs are used within cities for about one hour per day.
“So there is plenty of time for recharging. We think long-term there will be many EVs around, mainly when it comes to commuting shorter distances in metropolitan areas.”
They make sense in Europe, where cities are crowded and parking spaces tight. Also, petrol prices in Germany recently topped US$12 a gallon. In Asia, EVs are a tool to curb pollution and improve air quality, Diess told WardsAuto.com. “We really believe in electric cars.”
The more zero-emission vehicles BMW sells, the more leeway the automaker has in marketing high-performance cars such as the redesigned M3 sedan and M4 coupe, without facing government fines, Wards noted.
“The i8 shows we can do brilliant cars if we put batteries into the cars – cars that probably provide even more fun-to-drive (character) than our conventional inline [I6] engines,” he added.
Diess said response from the European market to the i3 had been extremely upbeat.
“The customers are really enthusiastic,” he said. “They love the experience of driving electrically. The feedback is what they would have expected in an electric car from BMW: direct steering, fast, a narrow turning cycle. It’s the typical BMW concept: the front axle is for steering, and the rear axle is for acceleration. Electric motors should be at the rear axle because there’s so much torque available – the front wheels can’t handle it.”
Diess said he was surprised more buyers were not opting for the range extender – a 600cc, 34hp, I2 petrol [motorcycle] engine mounted in the rear that adds 330lb (150kg) to the curb weight. The range extender acts as a generator and never directly drives the wheels.
“I personally prefer the car without the range extender,” he told Wards. “It depends how you use the car. If I used the car for daily business – going to work, week in, week out – I wouldn’t go for the range extender because it’s additional weight and the car loses a little bit of its agility, its nimbleness.”
Overall, he expected about a 50/50 split for i3 sales with and without the range extender.
