BMW i3 owners will get paid for charging their electric vehicles, as part of a new pilot program between the German automaker and Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

While electric cars help consumers save on gas prices, if all the owners were to charge their vehicles at the same, power grids would be under some serious pressure.

To avoid this outcome, 100 BMW i3 owners in California will receive $1,000 to take part in the 18-month trial program that asks owners to wait on charging their cars until off-peak hours.

Called the BMW i ChargeForward Program, PG&E will notify BMW when it needs to free up the energy grid. BMW will then be able to manage the at-home charge participants and delay the charging of some cars up to one hour, based on the info from PG&E.

BMW then selects drivers based on their departure times, which are entered into the BMW iRemote app to prioritize which owners need charging first. Owners can also opt out on a day-at-a-time basis in case the one-hour delay is not convenient at that time.

100 BMW i3 owners who are also PG&E customers in the San Francisco Bay Area were invited to participate in the pilot program. Those who qualified will receive a $1,000 gift card at the launch of the program, with a second gift card of up to $540 at the end — depending on how many times the driver opts out to let others charge at home first.

The BMW i ChargeFroward Program begins this weekend, and runs until December 2016.

Via: Engadget