Designed and built by BE, the station is off-grid, modular, constructed with recycled, decommissioned steel shipping containers and powered by sharp 235 watt photovoltaic panels. The project is part of BE’s effort to showcase urban sustainable energy solutions in New York City.
The charging station is currently used to charge BE’s 100% electric MINI E, making it one of the few cars in the world to run exclusively on solar power. BMW Group’s MINI E has a range of over 100 miles and takes around three hours to charge.
Lex Heslin, president and CEO of BE, said: “It never ceases to amaze me, when I get behind the wheel of this 95mph sports car, that it doesn’t use a single drop of gasoline, and that all of its power comes from the solar energy we collect right here on the Brooklyn waterfront. EV’s will significantly contribute to the reduction of atmospheric pollution, particularly if their ‘fuel’ is clean, green electricity. Real, system-wide change will come when we combine energy efficiency, energy conservation and a shift from carbon-emitting fuels to sustainable energy.”
With a capacity of about 6kW, BE’s charging station also produces enough energy to power a small home, and its battery bank stores electricity 24/7 for on-demand usage.
