BMW has launched a new one-stop charging package for buyers of electric BMWs and MINIs. With the BMW Charging and MINI Charging services, owners can use an app or card to access charging points from a range of providers, including BP Pulse, ESB, Osprey, Source London, Instavolt and Ionity.
In addition to access to charging points in the UK, users also have access to more than 173,000 charging points across Europe.
Subscribers have several options to pay for the service. Lighter users can register for a Flex tariff that gives them access to all providers with a single charge card or app. In this package, users will be billed each month for the charges they made.
More demanding drivers who regularly need to top up on the road have the option of purchasing two monthly subscription packages.
In the BP Pulse package, users pay a monthly fee, but have to pay a lower fee per kWh each time they top up. The Ionity Plus package offers a similar discount for this network, so customers typically pay 69p per kWh in a non-subscription package, this is reduced to 26p per kWh for subscribers. It means you need to find out if you are earning enough miles to recoup the additional cost of the subscription through lower fees, much like how car buyers traditionally had to find out whether or not to do it. I’ll be getting enough miles to cover the additional cost of a diesel car with a lower fuel cost.
Buyers of new BMW and MINI hybrids and electric cars receive the BP Pulse package free of charge for one year, while BMW iX3 and iX buyers receive the Ionity Plus package free of charge for one year.
In addition, each month the app gives users a full breakdown of their charging habits and the associated costs.
Click here to find out more about charging electric cars in the UK …
