BMW Plug & Charge allows charging without app and card

From mid-2023, thanks to BMW Plug & Charge, it will be possible to charge vehicles from the manufacturer without an app or card. The new offering combines convenient charging with unique flexibility in that the vehicle authenticates itself independently at the charging stations via digitally stored registration data.

BMW Plug & Charge introduced

BMW Plug & Charge aims to make electric mobility even more convenient and attractive from mid-2023. Vehicles of the car manufacturer from Bavaria will be able to charge electricity at public charging stations without a charging card or app.

Authentication for the charging process and billing will be fully automatic thanks to a data exchange between the vehicle and the charging station. The new functionality also allows Plug&Charge access to the IONITY charging network initiated by BMW.

A multi-contract function is also directly integrated, thanks to which traction current contracts from at least five different providers can be digitally stored in the vehicle and conveniently used at the operators’ charging stations.

The only requirement is that the relevant providers must be connected to Hubject’s Europe-wide eRoaming network. The current and future standards of ISO-15118-2 and ISO 15118-20 will be used for this purpose.

• More from BMW: BMW iX5 Hydrogen relies on hydrogen power

Charging should become easier than refueling

The BMW Group’s goal with BMW Plug & Charge is to make charging the high-voltage battery even easier than a traditional refueling process. To do this, simply connect the charging point to the vehicle’s charging port to start the flow of electricity and charging process.

There is no need to activate the energy feed using an app or charging card. Billing at the end of the charging process is also fully automatic. Convenient: Unlike the activation of the charging process via app, the automatic authentication by the vehicle does not require an online connection at the location of the charging station.

Whether BMW Plug & Charge will make its way directly into all of the manufacturer’s electric vehicles for availability in mid-2023 has not been revealed. By then, the new BMW i7 should also have been launched, which after all should mark nothing less than a milestone in e-mobility in the luxury segment.