BMW Unveils New Electric Vehicle in Palm Springs

Three companies came together in Southern California on Tuesday for an event that could change the way people view automotive transportation, gas stations and even their credit card bills.

BMW of Palm Springs, ABM and ChargePoint hosted a ‘Ride and Drive’ media event in Palm Springs, CA for the BMW i3, BMW’s first full production electric vehicle.  BMW will be introducing the i3 at its BMW i Centers throughout the United States and Canada over the course of 2014.

“Our valley is very progressive in many respects and it is a great area for renewable energy and innovation. We were pleased to get access to the pre-release BMW i3 so we can continue to be on the forefront of new vehicle technology,” said Jerry Johnson of BMW of Palm Springs.

As announced in November, ABM was selected by BMW of North America as the supplier and preferred installation partner for BMW i Center electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the United States and Canada. ABM is an industry leader in the development of North America’s EV infrastructure, having sold or installed over 700 public, workplace and commercial charging stations across the U.S.

“BMW has set the bar for performance and quality with not only its new plug-in electric vehicles, but also its supporting infrastructure rollout at over 300 facilities in North America. ABM is thrilled to work alongside BMW during its expansion into the EV market,” said Cameron Funk director of business development for ABM’s energy business.

ABM has begun the process of installing BMW i branded charging stations at hundreds of BMW i Centers across North America. BMW of Palm Springs is an example of a site that is now equipped and ready for the new vehicles. Installations across the U.S. and Canada are expected to be complete by the time the vehicles become available this year.

The charging stations are connected to the ChargePoint Network, the largest EV charging network in the world with over 15,000 charging locations. ChargePoint connects EV drivers of all electric brands via an application from their cell phones allowing them to access publically available stations and plan their charging accordingly.

As the availability of EV charging stations and vehicles increase, more drivers are expected to skip the gas pump in exchange for the charging connector. For more information on BMW i, visit BMW’s website.