Can I travel long distances in an EV? BMW’s app has the answers

If you’ve ever wondered whether an electric car would effortlessly slot into your lifestyle, BMW’s latest smartphone app might give you an answer. As part of an update for BMW’s smartphone app, it can now tell you what proportion of your journeys could be completed in an EV without the need to stop and charge.

Dubbed ‘Electric Vehicle Analysis’ (EVA), the My BMW App’s latest feature can scrutinise data from your vehicle, such as how far and efficiently you’re driving to evaluate whether the brand’s electric equivalent would suit your ‘personal driving profile’.

To enable the simulation, drivers will need a car equipped with BMW OS7 or later, and will need to consent to the usage of their data for analysis. After pre-selecting one of BMW’s several electric models, it will take around 1,200 miles to compile the necessary data. When the threshold is reached, drivers can see how many of their journeys could be completed on a single charge if driving the EV in question, with BMW pledging to “expand the reach of the analysis” in the future.

BMW’s Senior VP of Strategy, Dirk Wiedmann, explained how the EVA feature is designed to “help our customers make an informed judgement in their choice of drive system.” He continued, explaining that EVs can “already be incorporated perfectly into the daily routine of many customers – it’s just that the majority of them haven’t tried it yet”.

While the more cynical among us might see this as nothing more than a marketing ploy to shift more electric vehicle sales, it’s worth noting that BMW, unlike some brands, is well on its way to meeting the UK’s tough ZEV mandate quota.

Thanks in part to its heavily electrified MINI brand, the Munich-based firm says one in four BMW models is fully electric – above the 22 per cent prescribed by the UK government. 

Of course, the new EVA feature is not the only new addition to My BMW; owners can now store several EV charging memberships in a single Charging Wallet, while optimised route planning on the sat-nav will enable users to add in charging stops via their phone, which will be automatically synced with the vehicle.

Have you made the switch to an electric car? Let us know in the comments below...