BMW i ChargeForward Program

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SSi3

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https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/usa/...=9&id=T0199502EN_US&left_menu_item=node__5236

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. - January 5, 2015 12:00pm EST/9:00am PST … Today at the Consumer Electronics Show, BMW announced the BMW i ChargeForward Program. The pilot study will be undertaken by the BMW Group Technology Office, together with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), whose service area covers much of Northern California. Working with a select group of BMW i3 drivers, BMW i ChargeForward will demonstrate how intelligent management of electric vehicle charging can contribute to improved electric power grid efficiency while reducing total cost of electric vehicle ownership. The study has two parts, a managed charge pilot program involving BMW i3 owners and a battery second life energy storage system. In the managed charge pilot program, select BMW i3 owners will allow PG&E to request a delay in the charging of their vehicles by up to an hour, when grid loads are at their peak. The program also includes a “second life” for used MINI E batteries, by repurposing these batteries into a stationary solar-powered electric storage system located at the BMW Technology Office in Mountain View, California.

BMW i ChargeForward is designed to explore how to better match the impact of electric vehicles with other dynamic energy supply and demand sources.

Grid efficiency through managed charging, combined with a used EV battery “second life” system.

The goal of the pilot is to provide PG&E with 100 kilowatts of capacity at any given time, regardless of how many BMW electric vehicles are charging, as part of a voluntary load-reduction program known as “Demand Response.” The benefit to PG&E of more efficient use of existing power grid resources through EV charging management is passed on in the form of monetary incentives to program participants. Improved grid utilization, resulting from EV charging management combined with a solar-powered “second life” battery system, is expected to reduce stresses on the grid while supporting the integration of renewable energy.

Program participation.

Up to 100 BMW i3 drivers located in the San Francisco Bay Area who complete a pre-qualification survey at http://www.bmwichargeforward.com, starting in January 2015, will be selected to participate in the managed charge segment of the pilot from July 2015 to December 2016. Throughout the 18 month pilot, BMW will manage the charging of participating BMW i3 vehicles, while prioritizing the e-mobility needs of participants based on timing by which vehicles should be fully charged, as communicated through a smartphone app.

For each program “event,” when PG&E experiences peak load conditions, participants whose vehicles are selected for delayed charging will receive a text message notifying them that their vehicle will stop charging for up to one hour, thereby temporarily reducing the load on the power grid. Using the BMW i ChargeForward smartphone app, participants can opt out of any request based on their driving needs, and their vehicle charging will continue uninterrupted – for example, if they need to depart for a trip during peak load times and need a full charge sooner.

As an incentive for participating, selected drivers will receive $1,000 initially, and an additional reward of up to $540 at the conclusion of the program, based on their level of participation in charging Demand Response “events,” as well as participation in occasional BMW or PG&E sponsored surveys or questionnaires.

BMW will begin accepting applications at http://www.bmwichargeforward.com in January, and the program will kick off in July 2015.

EV battery “second life” system using MINI E vehicle batteries.

The battery second life portion of the project involves a full-scale stationary energy system built from eight used MINI E batteries to store energy and return it to the power grid. This 200 kilowatt-hour system, located at the BMW Technology Office in Mountain View, California, is one of the largest second life systems in the world.

At the end of a vehicle’s life, these batteries still have at least 70% of their original storage capacity available, making them suitable for re-use. By removing them from the vehicle and installing them in a stationary storage system with integrated solar power generation, new renewable capacity can be added to the grid—supported by resources that once took energy from it.

This additional power will supplement the energy load reduction by intelligent management of BMW i3 charging, to ensure PG&E grid needs are met, based on signals sent to BMW by PG&E as part of Demand Response.

BMW i ChargeForward project goals.

The goal of the pilot is to make electric vehicles even more attractive to our customers by ultimately reducing the total cost of EV ownership while demonstrating the ability to integrate renewable energy into the grid, extending the BMW Group’s commitment to sustainability as demonstrated by BMW i.

Total costs of ownership could be reduced, for example, as utility companies provide drivers with incentives to manage their electric vehicle charge times; these incentives could offset the cost of installing a charging station at home.
 
It's an interesting offer..... As long as the app will truly override PG&E when you need to charge and they want you to delay an hour then it is $1500 free money.

On the other hand if it is linked to the vehicle and not your home EVSE then PG&E will always know where your car is located so they can control charging. It depends on how you feel about the whole privacy issue.
 
I'm in Santa Cruz, so I signed up to be notified when they start taking applications. If we're chosen to participate, I'll report back here with details about the program and technology.
 
WoodlandHills said:
On the other hand if it is linked to the vehicle and not your home EVSE then PG&E will always know where your car is located so they can control charging. It depends on how you feel about the whole privacy issue.
Your car is always telling BMW where it is. Now, what they do with it is another thing. The car is talking to the server, and if you ever look, and use their app, the app shows you where the car is. That happens whether you use the app or not. The only way around that that I can think of is to pull the plug on the telemetrics unit underneath the rear seat.

Pretty much all cars with some sort of emergency response (OnStar, etc.) report their positions to the servers.
 
I33t said:
Is that independent of whether you have ticked the GPS tracking in iDrive or not?
I'm not 100% certain, but in the USA, if you use the SOS button, or have an accident, regardless of whether you can talk or not, they know where the car is, so my guess is, yes, they CAN know where the car is at any time. Whether they bother and under what specific circumstances, I do not know. They may not report it back out to the iRemote app.
 
I just received an email inviting me to apply for the i ChargeForward program, which I did. The application process revealed a few more details:

  • If you don't already have a Level 2 charger at home, you will need to install one at your own cost. That's what the initial $1000 gift card is for, it seems.
  • PG&E will install a second meter at your home which will be used during the program. Installation is free.
  • You must have cell reception at your home and a smartphone to run the ChargeForward app (iOS and Android were specifically mentioned).
  • You must commit to charging your vehicle primarily at home.

I currently charge my i3 at work for free, so switching to charging at home will be a small cost over the duration of the program. But hey, a free L2 charger? I'll take it, if we're selected... :)
 
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