Saturday 10 May 2014

BMW's solar carport revealed



BMW's first electric vehicles are rolling out in the US, but do you really want to store your prized ride in a crusty old garage? The company's DesignWorks studio doesn't think so, which is why it's cooked-up this solar carport that could power your vehicle between trips around town. The concept structure itself boasts some serious eco-credentials, with struts made out of bamboo and transparent solar panels that promise to last up to 30 years. If you're in a sufficiently sunny area, you could also use any spare energy generated by the carport to reduce your domestic electricity bill. Given that this is just a concept project, we won't see BMW getting into the building trade any time soon -- but that won't stop us asking our contractor to cheekily produce something similar in the front yard.