BMW Launches First App to Automate the Home Charging Process for BMW i Electric Vehicles.

BMW Smart Charging App Determines Optimal Times for Charging Electric Vehicles Based on Rates and Calculates Cost.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – June 9, 2014… The new BMW Smart Charging App makes it possible for BMW i customers to automatically identify the best rates and times for charging their electric vehicles at home. Developed by the BMW Group and available for Android and iOS devices, the BMW Smart Charging App is integrated with the BMW i Remote App, which allows drivers to get vehicle information via their smartphone. The BMW Smart Charging App has the potential to save customers as much as $400 annually on their electric bills. BMW is the first automotive manufacturer to offer this automated and fully integrated functionality.

In its initial phase, the BMW Smart Charging App is currently available to BMW Electronauts. Electronauts are electric vehicle enthusiasts who leased a BMW ActiveE as part of the company’s field trial which began in 2012, many of whom were among the first in the U.S. to take delivery of a BMW i3. Through a direct connection to a national energy rate database hosted by BMW Group partner, software company Genability, BMW i3 drivers will be able to automate their charging strategy in advance for daily and weekly use. They can also check their energy rates in this database, determine the optimal times to charge their vehicles and get transparency over the charging costs.

“By automating the at-home charging planning process with the BMW Smart Charging App, we are offering BMW i customers greater convenience and helping them conserve energy while maximizing their cost savings,” said Jose Guerrero, Product Manager and U.S. Product Planning and Strategy for BMW i, BMW of North America.

By linking the BMW ConnectedDrive interface through the BMW i Remote App, customers can also precondition their BMW i3 vehicles’ temperature, see their vehicle status, view actual charging times and related costs, and adjust and disable their charging settings remotely.

“BMW is dedicated to improving the at-home charging experience for customers so they can best optimize their electric vehicles for daily use. The BMW Smart Charging App provides BMW i3 drivers with an easy-to-use app that is integrated with the vehicle,” said Julian Lienich, Project Lead, BMW Group.

The BMW Smart Charging App will be available to all BMW i3 and BMW i8 customers in the U.S. in 2015.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 120 MINI passenger car dealers, and 35 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at www.bmwusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.  

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