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BMW Smart Charging App helps drivers charge for less

As electric vehicles proliferate and people try to conserve energy, moves toward smart charging seem only natural. Now, BMW is offering smarter charging, and it should mean more money in the pockets of its customers when they charge at home. BMW owners who drive one of the company's i vehicles will be able to use the BMW Smart Charging App that taps into a national energy rate database (powered by Genability) to allow drivers to automate charging during off-peak hours when electricity usage costs are lower. Charging vehicles at these lower rates could save drivers as much as $400 a year, BMW says. It's a simple idea, but one that could make BMW's EVs even more attractive to potential customers. The BMW Smart Charging App is initially available to customers who have leased a BMW ActiveE from the company's 2012 test fleet, a group whom BMW dubs Electronauts, and many of whom are also early adopters of the BMW i3. The app will then become available to all BMW i3 and i8 customers beginning in 2015. The Smart Charging App is integrated with the BMW i Remote App, which links with the BMW ConnectedDrive interface to also allow drivers to monitor charging times and vehicle status, adjust charging settings and even adjust vehicle temperature so the car is ready before the driver gets in the vehicle. The Smart Charging App is available for iOS and Android devices. Find more information in the press release from BMW below. BMW Launches First App to Automate the Home Charging Process for BMW i Electric Vehicles. 09.06.2014 BMW Smart Charging App Determines Optimal Times for Charging Electric Vehicles Based on Rates and Calculates Cost. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – June 9, 2014... The new BMW Smart Charging App makes it possible for BMW i customers to automatically identify the best rates and times for charging their electric vehicles at home. Developed by the BMW Group and available for Android and iOS devices, the BMW Smart Charging App is integrated with the BMW i Remote App, which allows drivers to get vehicle information via their smartphone. The BMW Smart Charging App has the potential to save customers as much as $400 annually on their electric bills. BMW is the first automotive manufacturer to offer this automated and fully integrated functionality. In its initial phase, the BMW Smart Charging App is currently available to BMW Electronauts.

BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R is ready for racing at Pebble Beach

Alongside the awesome Concept M4 GTS, BMW brought out a proper flight of fancy with an R version of the 3.0 CSL Hommage Concept shown earlier this year at Villa d'Este. This stunner pays tribute to the German brand's legendary 3.0 CSL racer from the 1970s and BMW's 40th anniversary here in the United States (and looks a lot better than the previous concept, to boot). Wearing the M brand's iconic livery, the original 3.0 CSL Hommage's styling has been given a hefty makeover with race-derived components. The fascia gets a much more aggressive front splitter, while prominent side pipes highlight the lower section of the car's profile. The side vents look great with the M color scheme and feed air towards that gigantic wing. Like the non-R Hommage, BMW has lined the spoiler in LEDs to tie the taillights together. The concept's race-derived cabin is futuristic, like the standard Hommage. This car, though, neatly integrates the traditional M color scheme into its sculpted, white leather seats. Above the DTM-like steering wheel, the R's dash features more information than the regular 3.0 CSL Hommage. The coolest interior feature, though, is actually part of the driver's kit. The race helmet's visor doubles as an augmented reality display, meaning the Hommage R's pilot is essentially wearing the head-up display. It displays basic vehicle information, and like something out of Forza Motorsport, will even show the ideal line through a turn. We've got a lot of images of the new Hommage R. Below, you can see stock images of the new concept, while our live images are available up top. You can also scroll down for the official press release from BMW. BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R. The perfect fusion of driver and machine. Munich/Pebble Beach. In August every year car enthusiasts from all over the world gather for the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach to immerse themselves in the fascination of both automotive treasures from years gone by and pioneering studies for times to come. The BMW Group has come up with something very special this year with the world premiere of the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R – a car that celebrates both the 40th anniversary of BMW in North America and the heady racing success of the BMW 3.0 CSL in 1975. 1975 was the year the Bavarian manufacturer founded BMW of North America, its first official sales company outside Europe.

ROEV lets you use multiple charging networks with one account

It may be a textbook case of a first-world problem, but any EV driver who doesn't want to carry two or three plug-in vehicle charging station cards when one would do is about to get a little smile on their face. This morning at the LA Auto Show, the new ROEV Association was announced that will let EV drivers carry just the one card. While you would think the all-caps ROEV stands for something, none of the pre-announcement materials nor the website explain it that way. Instead, it seems to just be a play on rove, which makes a lot of sense. There are three charging networks involved in ROEV: Blink, ChargePoint, and EVgo. Conveniently, these are the three largest in the US and have a combined 17,500 public chargers across the country. If you've got an account with one of these three networks, once ROEV goes into effect (expected in the spring of 2016), you'll be able to use that card at any participating charger without signing up for another account. Your personal details are kept private, ROEV says, and the companies coordinate behind the scenes to make it work. Pricing details were not disclosed. Besides the three main charging networks, two automakers are also founding members of ROEV: BMW and Nissan. ROEV says that Audi and Honda have also have already joined the Association and the organization wants to pull in all EV stakeholders to make electric vehicle charging easy. Fans of EV technology will note that ROEV has nothing to do with promoting either the CHAdeMO or the SAE Combo (CCS) fast charging standard. The Leaf is a CHAdeMO car while the i3 uses CCS, for example. The charging networks, of course, provide both kinds of plugs and don't promote one over the other. Tesla and its Supercharger network are not involved in ROEV, but Tesla drivers can, of course, participate in ROEV.