[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

Charging without an app and card: BMW Group introduces Plug & Charge function and is the first manufacturer to integrate multiple charging contracts in the car.

24
COMMENTS

Tweet

GLOBAL PRESS RELEASE:

September 12, 2022

Charging without an app and card: BMW Group introduces Plug & Charge function and is the first manufacturer to integrate multiple charging contracts in the car.

Innovative offer combines convenient charging with unique flexibility. The vehicle independently authenticates itself at charging stations using digitally stored registration data. Available from mid-2023.

Munich. With pioneering innovations in the field of digital vehicle functions, the BMW Group is once again helping to make electric mobility more convenient and attractive. From mid-2023, a Plug&Charge function will be available in the first BMW models, enabling customers to charge electricity at public charging points without having to use a charging card or app. The authentication required to start the charging process and for billing is carried out automatically by means of a data exchange between the vehicle and the charging station.

At the same time BMW Charging is expanding its extensive portfolio of charging services with this feature, provided by Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS). Also, the new functionality allows Plug&Charge access to the IONITY charging network initiated by BMW.

The offer is characterised by its unique flexibility: The BMW Group is the first car manufacturer to integrate a multi-contract functionality into its Plug&Charge offering. This allows customers to digitally store their current multiple charging contracts from at least five different providers in the vehicle and use the charging stations of these operators in a particularly convenient way. For this purpose, the current and future standards of ISO-15118-2 and ISO 15118-20 have been integrated.

Charging easier than refuelling: The vehicle authenticates itself.

Plug&Charge is a function that makes charging the high-voltage battery even easier than refuelling a conventionally powered vehicle. All the customer has to do is connect the charging point to the charging port of his vehicle - and data will flow via the charging cable in addition to electricity. There is no need to activate the energy feed-in using an app or charging card. Instead, the vehicle authenticates itself independently by transmitting the customer's contract data. This means that at the end of the charging process, the electricity fed into the grid is also billed fully automatically.

Additional benefit of this system: Unlike activating the charging process via app, automatic authentication by the vehicle does not require an online connection at the charging location. This is particularly advantageous in underground garages.


Unique flexibility: BMW Charging Account, private and company contracts are stored digitally.

Previous Plug&Charge solutions were always tied to a single, fixed electricity provider. The solution that will be available for BMW models in the future, on the other hand, offers a unique level of flexibility. The customer can digitally store the individual access data for several current multiple charging contracts in the vehicle. This gives him the option of accessing both his BMW Charging Account and other individual contracts while on the road. The only prerequisite for this: The corresponding providers must be connected to Hubject's Europe-wide eRoaming network.

This flexibility, realised for the first time in the field of electric mobility, makes charging the high-voltage battery easier, especially for users of company vehicles with electrified drives. Not only can they use BMW Charging's nationwide network, but they can also obtain electricity just as conveniently from providers with whom their employer has concluded a separate charging contract - for charging points on company premises, for example. In both cases, after connecting the charging cable, the customer only has to select and confirm the corresponding contract in the respective menu of the vehicle operating system to start the charging process.

The BMW Group will be demonstrating the "Multi Contract Plug&Charge" function in public for the first time at the Intercharge Network Conference, which will take place in Berlin from 12 September.

[Haywood]

This is pretty cool. I'm hoping that this will be available as an OTA upgrade on '22 and '23 EV models.

[Raille]

Originally Posted by Haywood

This is pretty cool. I'm hoping that this will be available as an OTA upgrade on '22 and '23 EV models.

Read my mind, this will be awesome regardless, but hope it gets updated our way as well.

[bagbklyn]

Basically, catching up with Elon!

[vinny84]

Good news!

[G30 545e]

Great idea but with several different charging companies providing EV charge, the consumer is going to have to deal with all the different terms and conditions of the different charging companies.

Recently I was charged 8.00 euro for going four minutes over a forty five minute charge time. I didn't even have a clue this was in that companies T&C's. These different companies are going to have to become more streamlined with transparent T&C's.

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by G30 545e

Great idea but with several different charging companies providing EV charge, the consumer is going to have to deal with all the different terms and conditions of the different charging companies.

Recently I was charged 8.00 euro for going four minutes over a forty five minute charge time. I didn't even have a clue this was in that companies T&C's. These different companies are going to have to become more streamlined with transparent T&C's.

I don't know how charging stations work but they should really adopt what gas stations do with regards to advertising pricing of fuel per volume. I shouldn't need to read and know T&C of when charging rates differ due to time/load or whatever.

If EVs are to be the norm, they need to replicate everything that works from gas stations.

[ghaffari46]

Doesn't Tesla do it already?
Tesla is plug and charge, and charging stations are everywhere and well maintained, at least in north east.
I tried to use non Tesla charger once, it was clunky, not user friendly and not well maintained.
It's funny that bmw call itself pioneer in digital connectivity, I have both Tesla and bmw apps on my phone, let's not compare them.
Bmw still has a long way to go.

[JustChris]

Great news

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by ghaffari46

Doesn't Tesla do it already?
Tesla is plug and charge, and charging stations are everywhere and well maintained, at least in north east.
I tried to use non Tesla charger once, it was clunky, not user friendly and not well maintained.
It's funny that bmw call itself pioneer in digital connectivity, I have both Tesla and bmw apps on my phone, let's not compare them.
Bmw still has a long way to go.

Yes but on their own Tesla network. I understand this as being multiple charging Apps etc

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by ghaffari46

Doesn't Tesla do it already?
Tesla is plug and charge, and charging stations are everywhere and well maintained, at least in north east.
I tried to use non Tesla charger once, it was clunky, not user friendly and not well maintained.
It's funny that bmw call itself pioneer in digital connectivity, I have both Tesla and bmw apps on my phone, let's not compare them.
Bmw still has a long way to go.

Don't have a Tesla, so don't know their tech. Tesla might be able to do this and much more but that's within Tesla's own infrastructure. That's not a knock on them but it's easier when you control both the software and hardware.

With BMW, they might making a very general or very simplistic statement, but it seems like they do a lot more with third party services than Mercedes and Audi. BMW might be limited to they MyBMW app in USA/Canada but they seem to work with a lot third party companies in Europe.

[Quadruple VANOS]

All I can envision is everyone pointing fingers at why this doesn't work as advertised. The charging company will blame the car and vice versa. They can't seem to build reliable chargers when they operate independently; now we're making it more complex?

[Hansn]

Originally Posted by ghaffari46

Doesn't Tesla do it already?
Tesla is plug and charge, and charging stations are everywhere and well maintained, at least in north east.
I tried to use non Tesla charger once, it was clunky, not user friendly and not well maintained.
It's funny that bmw call itself pioneer in digital connectivity, I have both Tesla and bmw apps on my phone, let's not compare them.
Bmw still has a long way to go.

As some mentioned this is in their own network only.

Im not sure about USA, its a way less complicated area than EU but here we get a charging card that to my experience works absolutly everywhere. Atleast i have yet to find a place where it does not work in any EU country. And if the charger does not read RFID you can start the charger from the BMW charging app. Eliminating all the fuzz about getting an app for every charging company. This feature is an extention of this system.

Funny enough the only app i need in addition to the BMW charge app/card is the Tesla app... 🤣

[smatanovic]

My i4 already works this way with EA charging stations: all I do is plug in and the car authenticates and starts charging. It will be nice to have this integration on additional networks.

[klizza]

Originally Posted by smatanovic

My i4 already works this way with EA charging stations: all I do is plug in and the car authenticates and starts charging. It will be nice to have this integration on additional networks.

What did you have to setup to make this work?

I have an iX plus the 2-year BMW complimentary charging on EA and so far had to manually trigger the charging process via the app or tapping my phone on the NFC reader of the charging station.

[sourphish]

Originally Posted by smatanovic

My i4 already works this way with EA charging stations: all I do is plug in and the car authenticates and starts charging. It will be nice to have this integration on additional networks.

Exactly what I was thinking regarding this news. My i4 works in the same manner as you -- just plug in the EA charger and it starts by itself without fiddling with the NFC reader or the app.

I have only plugged in 3 times at EA since owning the vehicle. I don't remember if I had to do anything with the app to initiate charging the first time around, but the most recent 2 times were definitely just plug and go. However, for some reason the last 2 sessions were not recorded in the charging history in my EA app (and thus no receipt either). But the charging sessions do show up on MyBMW app. Anyone else get this issue of missing charging history on the EA app?

[Cosmo_Kramer]

Same here EA charger can recognize my car once I plugged in and after initiation it shows my name. I just have to press continue.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by klizza

What did you have to setup to make this work?

I have an iX plus the 2-year BMW complimentary charging on EA and so far had to manually trigger the charging process via the app or tapping my phone on the NFC reader of the charging station.

Had an i4 M50 and we now have two iX...and we too have to manually swipe the charger unit on the EA app. We cannot get plug and play to work either!

[Cosmo_Kramer]

Try this in CarPlay. I have EA charger app in CP and when I’m near the chargers it shows up to choose the station and once I plugged in I don’t have to do anything else. I guess I already chose the charger in CP first maybe that’s how it knows my car through EA App.

[klizza]

Thanks. Our iX is still in safety recall repair, but will try out the suggestions as soon as we get it back.

[smatanovic]

Originally Posted by klizza

What did you have to setup to make this work?

I have an iX plus the 2-year BMW complimentary charging on EA and so far had to manually trigger the charging process via the app or tapping my phone on the NFC reader of the charging station.

I did nothing to make this happen. I set up the EA account in the app, and the first time I plugged in it just worked.

[i4M50Guy]

Originally Posted by smatanovic

My i4 already works this way with EA charging stations: all I do is plug in and the car authenticates and starts charging. It will be nice to have this integration on additional networks.

That’s AutoCharge. Plug&Charge works in a similar way but doesn’t require you to set it up with each CPO first. Set up once and use on any supported charger.