Electric cars have been around for some time now. They have been in development for decades, ever since Nikola Tesla claimed to have converted a normal car to an electric variant. Some call that event a hoax, some are more considerate and call the claim unsubstantiated and some advocates are of the view that Tesla did develop the concept but was limited due to the technology of his time. Today, many car manufacturers in the world have their electric car designs but they all face the same hurdle, that of viability.
Electric cars are great. They are good for the environment, they save money and also come with fascinating features. Today, some electric cars can match the potential or performance of conventional cars. However, the lack of charging points is the biggest hurdle that people face. Electric cars take a long time to charge and there are no charging stations on the road to ensure that an electric car doesn’t run out of juice midway and doesn’t have to be towed.
BMW has a solution for the problem and it is as simple as a light and charge station. The light and charge stations are nothing but simple streetlights which will have LED lamps and there would be a charging port which can be used by electric cars for an amount of charge that they need or want. The electricity used would be payable through an app that BMW car owners would use. The charging points will be universal and all electric cars, regardless of the manufacturer or brand, would be able to use the light and charge points.
The Light and Charge phenomenon is going to begin its journey in Munich. The initiative would shape up with two streetlights which BMW will install in Munich and the test run will determine the viability of the same and thus the future of electric cars. The light and charge concept may succeed because it uses the existing electrical grids of a city and simple streetlight shaped light fixtures can be easily installed across cities and countries all around the globe. The investment is not much, one doesn’t have to depend on the discretion of charging station owners or conventional gas station owners and electric car users will have peace of mind that they can simply pause for a while en-route and get their car charged up.
