BMW Unveils A Very Expensive Way To Put Cheap Electricity In Your Car

Jan. 10, 2015 8:00 AM ET by Jacob Joseph Technology / 49 Comments

Electric cars still aren't ready for the economic argument.

The advantage of driving an electric car is primarily an environmental one. There have been times when advocates and automakers have tried to sell them on the idea that you save a lot on gas, but the high initial cost of the vehicle has generally made this irrelevant at best. It's becoming even more irrelevant with gas prices at the lowest they've been in years, but BMW seems to think it can change your mind with new home solar charging.

The Bavarians have brought a home solar charging carport concept to CES, and as BMW Project Manager Julian Lienich puts it: "Our aim is to make mobility as cheap as possible for users and to allow them to maximize their use of green power – but without having to organize everything themselves." It's the cheap angle that we're not getting: will these carports be free from BMW? That would be a good deal, but it is economically unfeasible, and the end user buying it would just make the cheap electricity even more irrelevant. There is certainly an environmental argument for renewable power like this, and we suggest BMW stick to that.