One of the problems with electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids is just that: they have to be plugged in. It’s a simple yet extra step that often times falls victim to human nature, i.e. we forget or become lazy about it. It’s the same thing we do with our phones, only waking up having forgotten to plug in the car is somewhat more debilitating than that. BMW is exploring a way to cut out the middle man with wire-free inductive battery charging.
Inductive charging re-energizes an EV’s battery with a magnetic field rather than a wire from car to power source. It’s achieved by fitting a primary coil in a floor-plate over which a car can park and a secondary coil on the underside of the car itself. An alternating magnetic field is generated between the two coils, which creates electricity that is then sent to the BMW’s on-board battery.
At a charge rate of 3.3 kW, the battery of a BMW i8 can be charged in under two hours, which is about the same amount of time as it takes the current wired recharger. Down the line, a 7kW rate will be able to charge the larger batteries of an all-electric vehicle, like the i3, overnight.
If generating a magnetic charging field in the garage near where people sleep sounds a little ominous, BMW states that the inductive charging system’s field strength falls well below regulatory limits. The electromagnetic radiation it produces is lower than a kitchen hotplate, too.
A parking assist in the electric BMW will tell drivers where to park on the pad to get the juices properly flowing. Charge starts automatically once the coils are properly aligned, provided nothing that can obstruct the power flow has ended up on the charging pad. We’re talking foreign objects here, though, not weather; the inductive system will work fine in rain or snow.
It may not seem like a big deal, but going wireless doesn’t only mean making things easier around the home. Inductive charging can make uncluttered, damage-prone public charging stations more of a common thing, which in turn makes a world full of electric vehicles much more attainable.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.