The BMW range is going to include more and more plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles in the near future. The plan is to make sure the market demand is covered and, to do that, BMW needs to bring out electrified cars in every segment. These models do come with a couple of caveats though, one of them being charging. That’s the main thing to keep in mind and, if we’re talking about plug-in hybrids, charging them easily might make the difference between buying one or simply forgetting about it.
As we mentioned a number of times in our reviews, plug-in hybrids have been designed to be used running on electricity most of the time. This is how emission levels are cut, how you save gas money and how you enjoy the perks of an EV without worrying about range. That means you’re gonna have to recharge your car quite often. The best way to go about it is to recharge at home or at work but public chargers can also help out.
The video below comes from BMW and talks about this last scenario, telling you about how public charging works. The BMW on-board navigation system includes locations to the nearest charging stations. It is continuously updated via over-the-air updates and should be pretty reliable. The one thing it doesn’t tell you is whether that charging point is occupied or not in some cases. In order for that function to work, the provider needs to be in BMW’s database.
Other useful information is provided too, if the charger you’re heading to appears in the car’s on-board infotainment system. For example, you can find out about the pricing, whether you can pay using a credit card and so on. Using a credit card is a huge deal these days as most providers ask you to get a membership, in order to be able to use their facilities. You can even use the BMW Intelligent Personal assistant to guide you to the nearest charging station. Check it out.
