German legacy automaker BMW has just confirmed plans to offer bidirectional charging capabilities on its upcoming Neue Klasse-based electric vehicles due in 2025, according to the press release.
For context, BMW’s Neue Klasse dedicated electric car platform will finally arrive next year with an SUV currently previewed by the Vision Neue Klasse X concept.
BMW Neue Klasse EVs to serve as giant power banks
As BMW announced on Thursday, the new Neue Klasse-based electric vehicles set to hit the market next year will come standard with bidirectional charging technology.
Therefore, these EVs can serve as giant power banks to supply electricity to a wide range of recipients, such as households, electric vehicles, camping gear, and other appliances.
“BMW Neue Klasse models scheduled for launch in 2025 will be able to store electricity and function as a power outlet. They are equipped with technology for bidirectional charging – i.e. the ability to both accept and supply electricity.”
BMW
BMW’a current electrified vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) utilize prismatic battery cells, while the next-gen models will use round cells. The company predicts the EVs’ charging speed and driving range to surge by 30%. Meanwhile, energy density is expected to increase by 20%.
What’s bi-directional charging?
Bidirectional charging is basically an innovative technology that allows an electric vehicle to transmit energy to a wide range of recipients.
BMW plans to launch bidirectional charging technology with its Neue Klasse-based electric vehicles in three distinct phases:
- Vehicle to Home – allows an EV to provide power to a household, especially during an emergency
- Vehicle to Grid – allows an EV to return its excess energy to the grid
- Vehicle to Load – allows an EV to power external electrical equipment
“We are constantly improving our range of charging products and services in order to maximise the benefit to the customer. Starting this summer, we will be offering cost-optimised charging together with our partner E.ON in a number of markets. And with the Neue Klasse we will be taking the next step: bidirectional charging.”
Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Development
Competition
Apart from BMW, other major players like Volvo and Porsche are also exploring bidirectional charging technology for their electric vehicle models.
America’s electric vehicle giant Tesla also previously announced plans to launch bidirectional charging features onto its EV models by 2025, BMW Blog reported. In addition, General Motors is also preparing to offer Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) charging tech as a standard feature, starting with several 2024 models.
After the arrival of the iX3 and i3, BMW plans to roll out at least four more models using the Neue Klasse platform by 2028. It is part of the German company’s efforts to have EVs account for more than 50% of its global annual sales by 2030.
