BMW has announced a program that will provide buyers the 2014 BMW i3 electric vehicles with free DC fast charging through the end of 2015.
That program can be used through the ChargePoint card or BMW's own ChargeNow card, according to the automaker.
BMW ChargeNow program lets i3 drivers unlimited access to participating stations in the NRG eVgo network equipped with BMW's new i DC Combo Fast Charger.
The charger is capable of recharging the battery to 80 percent capacity in around 30 minutes.
The i3 must be equipped with the BMW Fast Charging option, which accommodates both DC charging and Level 2 AC charging.
BMW's Fast Charging option will add $700 to the $42,300 cost of the new BMW i3, when including a $950 destination fee, according to BMW spokesman Dave Buchko, who spoke with Edmunds.
Buchko also added that all i3 Launch Edition models will come equipped with the Fast Charging option.
The i3 may also be charged through conventional home or public station chargers that can restore 80 percent of the lithium-ion battery's power in as little as six hours.
Cliff Fietzek, manager of connected eMobility for BMW of North America said that the idea for the new i DC Combo Fast Charger was to introduce a lower-cost DC fast charger to public charging stations.
"If you want to do a DC charging installation today, it's quite expensive," he said. "The charger alone is at least $30,000. Total installation at a site can run between $50,000 and $100,000," said Fietzek to Edmunds. "We at BMW wanted to help out, along with the i3 launch, by bringing to market a low-cost charger that we could roll out to our dealerships and then offer to the wider market in order to expedite installations."
The i DC Combo Fast Charger was developed in conjunction with Bosch Automotive Service Solutions.
The Charger is priced at $6,548 for BMW dealers. It weighs less than 100 pounds and is designed to be mounted on a wall or pedestal.
Robert Healey, EV infrastructure manager for BMW of North America, said that the plan is to make the chargers affordable and simple to install.
"In the past few years we've learned that customers perceive blocks to electric vehicle ownership," Healey said, according to Edmunds. "So we're taking a two-pronged approach to removing those barriers with home charging and now what we see as the future of public charging: DC fast charging."
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