Until now, the fast-charging headlines have belonged to Tesla and that company’s nationwide network of Superchargers. With BMW getting into the electric car game, however, the German carmaker doesn’t want to leave Tesla any advantages – and will soon be offering a 24-kW DC fast charging unit that can restore a BMW i3′s battery to an 80% charge in under 30 minutes.
Built in conjunction with Bosch, the BMW i Center chargers will be offered $6,548. The system, which is smaller and lighter than other units on the market, could potentially be installed by small businesses and apartment buildings. Despite the relative affordability of the BMW/Bosch system, though, they anticipate that home installation by BMW i3 or i8 owners is still unlikely.
Initially, the BMW i Center charger installations will be limited to “Authorized BMW partners”, which probably means BMW dealers, Neiman Marcus, etc. will start to have the non-CHAdeMO chargers available in the fall.
Source | Images: BMW, via Motor Authority.
