A new program currently being tested offers BMW i3 incentives to owners of the German EV living in San Francisco's Bay Area by putting off charging their vehicles to ease power grid stress.
"My understanding is that we'll get a text message that says 'Hey, you're charging your car right now, can you back off for an hour?" i3 owner Peter Berman told Bloomberg.
Berman was reportedly selected from a pool of 400 applicants to participate in BMW and Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s "iChargeForward" pilot program. Announced at CES earlier this year, the program began last week and will last for 18 months.
The program offers 100 participants $1,000 gift cards upfront as BMW i3 incentives. Upon successful completion of the program in December 2016, they will receive another gift card worth up to $540. It also comes in addition to subsidies offered by the US government in purchasing EVs.
By participating, owners of the i3 EV will reportedly give BMW the ability to manage the in-home charging of their vehicles remotely, according to CNET. Depending on demand information from PG&E, the automaker can delay charging by up to an hour.
"Participating i3 owners can track the value of the incentive, as well as temporarily opt out of the program using a phone app if their charging needs are more pressing."
By itself, CNET said iChargeForward won't solve on-peak power demand problems. But if successful, "it could become part of a network of solutions put forth by automakers, energy companies and EV owners themselves."
As per Bloomberg, the program is part of PG&E's "demand response program" which encourages large building owners and industrial users to scale back their electricity use when supply is unable to meet demand.
While the BMW i3 incentives under the program won't necessarily drive more sales for the German EV, The Verge said iChargeForward does help "make the idea of purchasing an electric vehicle even more attractive."
