BMW has come up with an innovative way of recharging electric motorcycles: a wireless charging pad that goes underneath the kickstand.
The concept charging pad would consist of coiled copper wires that would create an electric current when making contact with the kickstand. The kickstand will act as a receiver and transport the energy up to the battery.
This patented new technology makes for a great way to charge the bike anytime the rider stops off for a break. The pads’ direct contact with the ground enables the conduction of energy in the ground.
One of the biggest challenges facing all-electric vehicles is the need for charging stations. As we head towards the exciting future of reducing the carbon footprint, more charging ports and further innovative ideas like this one from BMW will become increasingly important.
Previously, BMW released a design that featured a kickstand charging pad that enabled the rider to plug into an AC wall socket. The ability to charge either from a plugin at home or wirelessly when wall charging is unavailable is a great idea. Combining these two ideas will offer the rider more peace of mind and more freedom while out on the open road.
It should be noted that as exciting as this new idea is, it will be some time before we see it implemented on any type of scale. While the idea is good, BMW currently only produces one electric bike, the C evolution scooter. The company has been talking about different concept electric motorcycles for some time now, like the BMW Motorrad Vision DC Roadster and the Motorrad VISION NEXT 100.
With all this buzz about the new patented charging station, BMW’s recently released comments signify that there may be a while before this technology becomes commonplace. CEO Dr. Markus Schramm in a recent interview, told CycleWorld:
“I am convinced that the motorcycle as a product becomes more and more important — not about commuting, but as a leisure product. Electric mobility will be important for motorcycles in urban areas within five years.”
He goes on to say:
“As the Vision DC Roadster concept shows, we see this as a powerful portfolio of the future. In the urban environment, it is possible that there will be an electric BMW motorcycle in five years. In the touring, off-road, and sport segments, I am not sure that we will see them.”
With more companies getting involved in electric motorcycle design, such as Harley Davidson’s new H-D LiveWire and other concept bikes like the NAWA Racer, perhaps this will give BMW further inspiration to develop electric touring, off-road, and sport segment models that Schramm talked about.
More and more people are starting to wake up to the fact that we need to reduce the carbon footprint we have on the planet. This will certainly increase the demand for more electric vehicles and the desire to have more models to choose from. Hopefully, they will also rethink the whole five-year plan, as the quicker we can reduce our emissions overall, the better.
