BMW + Volkswagen + ChargePoint Announce Fast-Charging Network

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It looks as though BMW intends to make good on its threat to Tesla’s current dominance in the American luxury electric vehicle (EV) market, based on a recent announcement made at the 2015 Washington Auto Show.

The company made the interesting reveal there that it was partnering with ChargePoint and Volkswagen to create extensive fast-changing corridors along the most heavily trafficked routes of both the East and West Coasts.

 

This partnership aims to see 100 DC fast-charging stations installed across both coasts in the near future — said expansion could, of course, be continued after that. And, it’s worth remembering, this expansion will be building on the more than 20,000 ChargePoint charging points that are already installed in North America.

The new stations on the East Coast will reportedly be installed on the busiest portions of Interstate 95 — from up in the Boston area to down in Washington, DC. In turn, the West Coast expansion will see the network encompass the metropolitan areas of San Francisco, LA, San Diego, and Portland. Said stations will, at the most, be no more than 50 miles apart — thereby facilitating long-distance travel along these routes.

“A robust network of conveniently located DC fast-charging stations will go a long way toward increasing electric vehicle adoption and making electric vehicle ownership even more enjoyable,” stated Robert Healey, Head of EV Infrastructure at BMW of North America, in an email to CleanTechnica. “The express charging corridors are another important step in the the development of the US e-mobility infrastructure that makes longer distance travel a real option for consumers, particularly along the most heavily trafficked portions of both coasts — making the BMW i3 and other electric vehicles even more appealing.”

Each of these new DC fast-charging stations will include to two 50 kW DC fast chargers, or 24 kW DC Combo fast chargers with the SAE Combo connector — the standards used in BMW’s and Volkswagen’s EVs. Said stations will also include Level 2 chargers — making the stations appealing to owners of EVs not compatible with the aforementioned standards.

All of the new stations are expected to installed by the end of 2015.

The EV manufacturers involved in this effort come as no surprise. It’s clear that there are a handful of major car companies that are serious or at least somewhat serious about advancing the EV revolution. Those include BMW and Nissan most clearly, but also Volkswagen, Ford, and GM.

Image Credit: BMW/ChargePoint