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Electric vehicle sales in the U.S. are starting to rise again, and BMW is determined to grab a piece of the action. The German automaker has started offering a free electric vehicle charging package to anyone who buys a 2027 BMW i5, BMW i7, or BMW iX3. The package includes $500 in charging credits, which seems like little compared to the cost of a BMW. Still, it’s better than nothing and positions the company to compete in a rapidly evolving landscape that includes free charging hours.
Free hours and charging of electric vehicles
The “off hours” trend has already emerged in the United States, where Texas (of course!) is an epicenter of activity. The idea is to smooth out weekday peak demand spikes and take advantage of excess grid capacity by offering ratepayers an incentive to use more electricity during nighttime hours, with major utility Constellation being a representative example.
“When you sign up for a free nightly electricity plan, a smart meter monitors your energy usage by time of day,” explains Constellation. The company offers a “Free Power Hours” plan between midnight and 4 a.m. every night.
“Constellation also offers discounted nights and fair days, with discounted electricity supply rates from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.,” the company adds.
Constellation notes that standard service charges and other fees apply. They also warn that the free plan is not a good option for households with heavy electricity use during the day, when higher rates apply.
Still, access to EV charging at minimal cost is a tempting incentive for some households. Constellation currently offers its “FreeCharge” plan between midnight and 4 am to taxpayers in Pennsylvania and Texas.
A $500 EV charging credit from BMW
In this context, a charging credit of just $500 for a BMW isn’t much of an incentive, at least not in states where free hours are available. The monthly lease for the 2027 BMW i5, for example, amounts to almost $750. Buying the car outright will cost you almost $70,000, including the destination fee.
Still, any incentive is better than no incentive, and the new offer gives BMW a chance to tie its star to the off-hours trend. “The new offer, available from November 5, 2026, is designed to make public charging simpler, more convenient and more affordable for BMW customers,” explains BMW.
“The package includes a $300 BMW Charging Network credit that can be used at participating charging providers1, as well as a separate $200 credit for charging at IONNA locations,” the company explains, referring to IONNA as a consortium of electric vehicle manufacturers (including BMW) focused on improving the driver experience at charging stations.
In addition to the $200 IONNA credit, BMW also offers a one-year IONNA membership plan that offers a 25% discount on the fee.
For the record, the BMW Charging Network includes more than 180,000 charging stations compatible with the company’s My BMW app.
BMW: You have to believe it…
Beyond the EV charging package, BMW is also among the electrification players that did not throw in the towel after last year’s drop in EV sales. Despite the premature demise of the federal EV tax credit on September 30, 2025, the number of public EV charging stations in the U.S. has continued to increase and charging networks have become more sophisticated and convenient.
In addition to the connection with IONNA, for example, BMW’s charging network includes Shell Recharge, Electrify America, ChargePoint and EVgo, among others.
“The company has also invested in Plug & Charge, which simplifies the charging experience; and ChargeScape, a collaborative effort to help manage the flow of energy between electric vehicles and the power grid,” BMW added in a press release last week.
Next steps for electric vehicle charging in the US
ChargeScape represents another indication that Trump’s war on electric vehicles is over before it began, tax credits or not.
ChargeScape was launched three years ago as a joint venture between BMW, Ford and Honda’s US branch. “Benefiting both EV customers and the electric utility industry in the U.S. and Canada, ChargeScape will unlock entirely new value that EVs can provide to the electric grid, while enabling EV customers to realize financial benefits through a variety of managed charging and energy-sharing services never before possible with traditional gasoline-powered vehicles,” the three automakers enthused in a Dec. 29, 2023 press release.
“ChargeScape’s platform will provide electric utilities with access to power from EV batteries across a broad set of EVs. Participating EV customers will have the potential to realize financial benefits by charging at ‘grid-friendly’ times through flexible, managed schedules,” the partners explained.
“The development of this project comes at a time when electric vehicle sales and infrastructure growth are increasing rapidly,” the partners added.
That was certainly an optimistic view about the future of electric vehicle sales in the U.S., but that was December 2023. Nearly a year later, then-candidate Donald Trump cruised to victory on Election Day 2024, scoring a second swing in the Oval Office with a plan to stop the trend toward vehicle electrification in its tracks.
Still, ChargeScape forged ahead. In September 2024 the alliance was ready for launch, which Nissan would join just a month later. ChargeScape also added startup Rivian to its rosters in June this year, with the option to add two-way charging for electric vehicles. Other automakers, including Tesla, also use the platform.
The bidirectional charging element is where things get particularly interesting. The technology emerged in the early 2000s and allowed electric vehicle drivers to power their home from their car battery or send electricity to the grid. Unleashing the mass-market potential of two-way charging is a next-level challenge, and the off-duty trend could help accelerate its adoption. With free electric vehicle charging hours, drivers can store electricity at minimal cost during those periods and discharge it to reduce the cost of electricity for their homes during periods when higher electric rates apply.
Ford is particularly excited about the possibility of two-way charging growing. The company’s upcoming Ford Fathom electric pickup truck comes with an internal inverter that converts the battery’s DC charging into AC current for home use. The built-in inverter eliminates the cost of the external wall-mounted inverter, which would otherwise be required for bi-directional charging at home.
Photo: BMW is upping the EV charging boat with a $500 charging credit on its 2027 i5, i7, and iX3 electric cars in the U.S. (courtesy of BMW).
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