BMW and Tesla executives meet to discuss electric-car strategy

By Stephen Edelstein Published June 14, 2014

bmw and tesla executives discuss ways to promote electric cars model s white — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Electric cars are a tough sell these days, but perhaps a little collaboration will make things easier.

BMW and Tesla executives met earlier this week to discuss electric cars, Reuters reports. The meeting was held on Wednesday, but BMW declined to give any further details.

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In a conference call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Reuters that the two companies discussed how to promote electric cars, and how to make better use of Tesla’s network of “Supercharger” DC fast-charging stations.

Tesla also announced this week that it would share its patents with other companies, theoretically giving rival carmakers the ability to make future models compatible with the Supercharger network.

BMW and most other German and U.S. carmakers signed on with the Combined Charging Standard (CCS, also known as SAE Combo) for DC fast charging, so it’s unclear whether the Bavarian carmaker would use both, or abandon the slow-to-develop CCS network for a full partnership with Tesla.

DC fast charging offers electric-car drivers a quicker charge when they need it. A 2014 BMW i3 can receive an 80-percent in 20 minutes from a CCS station, while a Tesla Model S and its much-larger battery pack can be charged to 50-percent capacity (adding 150 miles of range to the 85-kilowatt-hour model) in the same amount of time.

However, there are relatively few fast-charging stations, and they’re divided among three standards: Supercharger, CCS, and the CHAdeMO standard used by the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. A more comprehensive network would go a long way toward making electric cars convenient enough for more people.

A collaboration with BMW wouldn’t be Tesla’s first with a major automaker, either.

Daimler holds a 4.3-percent stake in the Silicon Valley carmaker, which supplied electric motors and battery packs for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. It did the same for the Toyota RAV4 EV.

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Tesla

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Nissan joins ChargeScape, a way for EV owners to sell watts back to the grid

electrify america home charging station for electric cars

EV owners already enjoy the benefits of knowing their vehicle is charging up quietly while they sleep. Now they can dream about how much money they can make in the process.That’s the bet Nissan is making by joining ChargeScape, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) venture that is already backed by BMW, Ford, and Honda.ChargeScape’s software wirelessly connects electric vehicles to power grids and utility companies. When connected with ChargeScape's platform, EV drivers can receive financial incentives for temporarily pausing charging during periods of high demand. ChargeScape says they will eventually also be able to sell the energy stored in their vehicle's battery back to the power grid.
A 2021 study by the University of Rochester found that EV owners could save up to $150 a year by using V2G technology. But the technology has evolved in recent years. V2G company Fermata Energy says that in some circumstances, a customer using its bi-directional charger was able to save $187.50 in 15 minutes by drawing energy from a Nissan LEAF to avoid costly demand charges.
Nissan intends to roll out the ChargeScape technology to its EV drivers across the U.S. and Canada. The company says the move is of particular significance given its U.S. sales of 650,000 Leaf models, one of the first EVs with the capability to export power back to the grid.ChargeScape, which launched in September, is equally owned by BMW, Ford, Honda, and now Nissan. But it expects other automakers to join the party.In August, GM announced that V2G technology will become standard in all its model year 2026 models. The project comes at a time when EV sales and infrastructure growth are ramping up quickly, along with challenges for the electric grid. Simply put, more EVs on the road means more demand on utilities to provide the needed power.At the same time, more and more EV makers seek to incorporate automotive software that provide advanced driver aids and other connected features. With vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology quickly spreading, ChargeScape is entering a landscape where competitors such as ChargePoint, Electrify America, Fermata Energy, and BP Pulse are already vying for a piece of the action.
But there is one good reason for ChargeScape to move in now: Tesla, which otherwise dominates the field in the U.S., has so far backed off from embracing V2G technology, focusing instead on its Powerwall home-battery solution to store solar energy and provide backup power. However, CEO Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla could introduce V2G technology for its vehicles in 2025.

Cars

The Tesla Supercharger network is expanding again

Teslas parked using the Tesla Superchargers.

EV owners worried about getting stranded before their next charge may breathe a bit easier now: The Tesla Supercharger network has resumed its expansion over the last three months, after massive layoffs at Tesla had led to a slide in new stalls earlier this year.Tesla opened 2,800 new Supercharger stalls globally during the three-month period ending September 30, an increase of 23% from the year earlier, according to the company’s official Tesla Charging account on X (formerly Twitter).Tesla also delivered 1.4 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy during the third quarter, which translates to 27% year-over-year growth. The Tesla Charging account said the amount of energy delivered enabled Tesla owners to save over 150 million gallons of gasoline, offsetting more than 3 billion pounds of CO2.According to the website Supercharge.info, which relies on user contributions to track the opening of new stalls, there were 2,677 Supercharger stations in North America at the end of September, 125 more than at the end of the third quarter.The additions of new stalls, however, comes in the wake of a 31% slide in the second quarter, after a massive round of firings at the company removed 500 employees from the Supercharger team in April.The third-quarter expansion should still go some ways to appease the concerns of Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicle (EV) owners, as EV manufacturers are lining up in droves to be able to use the Supercharger network.In September, General Motors electric vehicles made by Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac joined the growing list of vehicles to have adopted Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS). The network already allows access, via adapters, to EVs made by Ford, Rivian, Honda and Volvo. The likes of Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo and Jaguar have also signed agreements to start allowing access in 2025.
The Tesla map of Superchargers across the U.S. reveals they are concentrated in major cities and across East-West transit corridors.According to Tesla, a Supercharger can add up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.

Cars

Best electric car charger deals: $100 off home charging stations

The handle of the Grizzl-E EV charger plugged into a vehicle.

There are a lot of electric vehicle options out there these days, and if you've been considering buying one or have already bought one for yourself, then one of the most important bits of kit you'll need is a home charger. While charging at a station can be a lot faster, it's often more expensive compared to charging at home, where you can just leave it overnight. Of course, even that has a lot of variability depending on the type of car charger you end up going for, with some chargers being able to charge faster than others at a higher upfront cost. Either way, we've gone out and collected some of our favorite electric car charger deals for you and listed them below.
Seguma 16Amp Level 1/2 EV Charger -- $115, was $150

If you need a more basic charger, this Level one and two charger from Seguma is a solid option and can deliver 16 amps and 3.84kW, which is pretty substantial. It also comes with a NEMA 6-20 plug and a standardized J1772 connector, which should work on most EV vehicles out there except for Tesla, which has its own connector. There are also some intelligent charging features, which include things such as protection against things like under and over voltage, leakage, and lighting, and it has an automatic cut-off when your EV is fully charged.