BMW North America has partnered with the U.S. National Park Service to improve electric-vehicle accessibility in national parks by promising to install up to 100 charging stations.
The partnership, which also includes the National Park Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, will augment the already existing EV stations in the parks.
BMW, in a statement April 19, said the sites will charge all compatible U.S. vehicles, not just the models made by the German automaker such as the i3. The event at the Thomas Edison National Historic Park in West Orange, N.J., featured BMW's i3, which uses carbon fiber and other plastics extensively to decrease weight and improve performance.
Sites with charging stations will be determined by factors such as driving distances and visitor demand.
The first EV charging site, at the Thomas Edison National Historic Park, went live April 19.
“Together with our partners, I hope that we can channel a little of Edison's spirit and, in the same way he made electric power widely available, make electric vehicle charging more widely available for everyone,” Ludwig Willisch, head of BMW Group Region Americas, said in a press release.