It's no secret that we're going to need a lot more charging stations for electric vehicles to be adopted in really large numbers, and BMW is hoping that its new solution will provide a way for cities and towns to upgrade existing infrastructure without having to find spots for dedicated chargers.
As the automaker announced previously, its idea is to turn streetlights into charging stations, and its now shown off that concept for the first time during the city of Oxford's Low Carbon Week. Dubbed Light and Charge, the system is designed to be installed in any street light location that has a parking spot next to it, and would let drivers swipe a card to charge their vehicles (BMW and non-BMW EVs alike, of course).
Naturally, BMW has paid attention to the street light portion of the system as well, and equipped them with energy-effiicent LEDs that can adjust their light output based on the surroundings. They also use a modular design that can accomodate up to four LED light modules depending on the needs of the area.
Of course, while BMW has made it from the idea to prototype stage, the company still has a ways to go, and doesn't appear ready to offer any indication as to when it expects the first lights to be put in place.
