BMW is officially launching its wireless electric car charging system. The BMW Wireless Charging Station is a giant Qi-like pad for your 530e iPerformance sedan.
Customers can order a BMW 530e iPerformance with a factory-fitted system to work with BMW’s optional inductive charging system. The option is touted as more “convenient” than charging with a cable, but it comes at a high cost: the actual cost, but more importantly – efficiency.
The system includes an inductive charging station they’re calling a GroundPad and a secondary CarPad that attaches to the bottom of the vehicle. With charging power of 3.2 kW, a complete fill-up takes around three and a half hours, and special software appears on the display to help ensure you get lined up correctly.