BMW patents an innovative new technology that would charge electric motorcycles through their kickstands

  • BMW has filed a new patent for a new way to charge electric motorcycles
  • The patent would use an AC coil in a motorcycle kickstand to draw electricity
  • A is kickstand placed on a charging pad with an AC coil that’s plugged into a wall 

By Michael Thomsen For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

BMW has filed a new patent that shows an innovative approach to wireless charging for electric motorcycles.

In an illustration submitted with the filing, the German automobile maker shows a motorcycle kickstand placed on a charging pad with an AC coil that’s plugged into a wall.

The kickstand has its own AC coil embedded in the tip, which converts electromagnetic current from the ground pad into electricity that's sent to the motorcycle battery through a cable.

The patent filing contains no information regarding how quickly the system would be able to charge a battery, according to a report from Electrek.

Scroll down for video 

BMW has filed a new patent to use motorcycle kickstands in a wireless charging system

BMW has filed a new patent to use motorcycle kickstands in a wireless charging system

Though wireless charging is a common feature in cell phones, electric tooth brushes, and video game controllers, it’s remained a challenge for electric vehicles because most vehicles don’t have any conductive material that could come in direct contact with a charging pad. 

Last year, a wireless charging company called Momentum Dynamics announced it would provide wireless charging stations for a small number of public buses in Washington state.

That technology would place large receiver pads wound with copper wire inside buses.

Those pads would receive a charge when resting in place over the electromagnetic field created by a similar pad embedded in the pavement at targeted bus stops.

The company said that with five minutes of charging at a routine transfer station stop, buses would receive enough electricity to complete an additional route, though exact charging speeds weren’t shared at the time.

BMW has used their electric motorcycle concept vehicles to highlight a range of new technologies, including gyroscopic sensors that automatically keep the bikes level

BMW has used their electric motorcycle concept vehicles to highlight a range of new technologies, including gyroscopic sensors that automatically keep the bikes level

Typically, wireless charging speeds depend on proximity between the two coils, with speeds rising the closer the two are to one another.

Unlike cars, motorcycles have a distinct advantage with their conductive metal kickstands, that can easily be used to receive currents from a much closer distance than receiver pads under car floorboards. 

In 2018, Kia announced that it had developed a wireless charging station for its electric cars, but declined to release it to the public.

Industry watchers have speculated that one of the main hurdles for wireless charging is that the convenience of not having to plug a car or motorcycle into the wall isn’t worth the significant increase in charging time.

HOW DOES WIRELESS CHARGING WORK?

Wireless charging as a concept has been around since Nikola Tesla, a Croatian inventor, first suggested in the 19th century that you could transfer power between two objects via an electromagnetic field.

The charging pad contains a loop of coiled wires around a bar magnet, known as an inductor.

When an electric current passes from the mains through the coiled wire, it creates an electromagnetic field around the magnet.

This can then be used to transfer a voltage – or charge – to the smartphone.

Apple is rumoured to working on a charging system that will operate at 7.5 watts.

That means that it won't offer faster charging speeds than conventional chargers, which offer 15 watts as standard.

Advertisement

With a direct contact solution through a conductive kickstand, it’s possible that charging times could be significantly faster than previous wireless charging solutions.

In 2016, BMW showed off a number of other futuristic ideas with a concept electric motorcycle called the Motorrad Vision Next 100, which featured gyroscopic sensors that would allow the motorcycle to always remain level.

In 2017, it shared a similarly experimental concept for an electric scooter that could automatically adjust its seat height for different riders.

 

Most watched News videos