BMW Pushes Solar
BMW's sustainable initiatives encourage more than just a shift in driving habits, but now also extend to spurring infrastructure and lifestyle changes among its consumers.
Under a new partnership with Real Good Solar, owners of current BMW ActiveE experimental electric vehicles and future buyers of the i3, a full-production EV to launch in 2013, can purchase solar panels for their homes at a discounted rate of up to 35 percent. Those customers must live in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York or Massachusetts.
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The solar array wouldn't only recharge the electric vehicles, but would provide incredible cost savings to those customers in the long term. Installed and serviced under Real Good Solar, those consumers can either purchase or lease the equipment. According to the company's website, two 20-year lease options are available: one with zero down that amortizes equipment costs over the lease term and one with an upfront cost of $5,269 that forgoes monthly payments. The zero-down option could save ConEd customers in New York $71,036 over the 20 year period, while the prepaid option could save up to $84,599.
Earlier this year, BMW also announced a partnership with Tendril Inc, a Colorado-based firm that provides software infrastructure to connect homes to the grid and optimize energy usage. When electricity demand is low, these “smart homes” can communicate with the “smart grid” to charge vehicles, saving money and keeping the grid out of harm of being overloaded.
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