BMW has shown off how it plans to take on Tesla and its Supercharger network with its own version. The BMW charging stations, called Light & Charge, will use LED street lights to power up electric cars.

Announced last year, BMW's Light & Charge system has been built and shown off in Oxford using BMW i3 and i8 electric and hybrid cars.

The Light & Charge system uses LED street lamps to charge up electric cars. The idea is to offer a convenient way to upgrade street lighting while also placing electric car chargers near the road without taking up more space. This should also mean there are plenty of potential parking spaces with chargers available.

The EV car charging cable can connect to a standard connector on the Light & Charge. There is a card reader so a swipe allows for easy payment regardless of car make or model. There were no details on the rate of charge that would be offered.

Frank Bachmann, managing director, Mini plant Oxford said: "Light & Charge is a simple and innovative solution which aims to integrate a charging station network into the urban landscape and this is essential if we want to see more electric vehicles on the road in our cities in the future."

While he didn't say whether the system would begin to appear in Oxford soon he did say: "I’m delighted that the Mini plant is the first location in the UK to showcase BMW Group’s technological expertise not only in developing electric vehicles but also as part of a much wider commitment to electric mobility."

Here's hoping we begin to see these innovative street light chargers appearing soon.

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