Not an invention of modern times – the Electric Vehicle was essentially first introduced more than 100 years ago. Today, Electric cars are seeing a rise in popularity for many of the same reasons they were initially popular. The demand for electric drive vehicles will continue to climb as prices drop and consumers look for ways to save money at the pump. EV’s currently own more than 3% of new vehicle sales, electric vehicles sales are estimated to grow to nearly 7% by 2020.
The future of Electric Vehicles – it’s clear that they hold a lot of potential for creating a more sustainable future. EVs will also reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change and smog, improving public health and reducing ecological damage. Charging your EV on renewable energy such as solar will minimizes these emissions even more.
BMW & SUNWORX unveiled their first Electric vehicle solar carport in 2016. The BMW i solar carport supplies an average of 3,6kW straight to the BMW i Wallbox which is used to show a live readout of how much power is being generated by the sun. With the rollout of the BMW i solar carport, the BMW Group is demonstrating its commitment to shaping the future of individual mobility not only with ground-breaking products and services, but also with global & local involvement in the expansion of home and publicly accessible charging. This project secured SUNWORX their first International accolade – The Frost & Sullivan Award.
Message from Frost & Sullivan: It is rare to find a company that is positioned like SUNWORX Solar, to excel in the South African PV market while faced with fierce competition. With its strong overall performance, SUNWORX has earned Frost & Sullivan’s 2016 Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership Award for superior commitment to solar off-grid solutions in South Africa. BMW will also offer standardized SUNWORX solar solutions for the i3 and i8 range of BMW electric cars. Vehicle owners now have the opportunity to either install a residential home solar system or a solar car port with the electric vehicle charging technology
FNB have been on the forefront of sustainability by implementing solar PV on various buildings. With the shaded carports requiring an upgrade, and the limited availability of roof space, it was decided to utilize the carports to deploy their base load energy requirements via solar PV. This equated to an installed capacity of 2MW.
The site will see benefits that include reduced energy demand, reduced overheads, increased bottom-line profit for the company. The site is also one of the largest solar powered charging facility for electric vehicles in the world.