BMW Group Malaysia and Universiti Malaya (UM) have set up a solar-powered smartphone charging station at the UM Central bus stop on campus. This is the first real-world project from the RE:GENERATE x Universiti Malaya research initiative. The station was designed by Associate Professor Dr. Tan Chia Kwang and his team at the UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), and it serves over 3,000 bus riders daily, turning more than two years of lab research into practical use for the campus community.
This charging station is one of two projects from the initiative. It uses smaller battery packs that are ideal for charging devices, while larger battery packs are being prepared to provide electricity to a Semai Orang Asli community in Pos Sinderut, Kuala Lipis, Pahang.
The system uses repurposed BMW EV batteries and second-life solar panels as its energy source. It is supported by a solar charge controller, a photovoltaic (PV) inverter, a Battery Management System (BMS), and a USB fast charger.
This charging station has a 1.5 kWh system built from three BMW battery modules, each about 10 years old. Dr. Tan and his team have tested and improved these batteries, recovering 30–40% of their original capacity. They use lower-capacity BMW EV batteries that wouldn’t be retired early, while higher-capacity batteries are saved for more demanding projects in rural areas.
There are four charging ports available: three for USB-C devices and one for older Apple devices with a Lightning port. The total output is 200W, with a maximum of 100W available for each port.
The bus stop serves over 3,000 users every day.
Data loggers are in place to track battery performance and usage. A trained group of students regularly checks and maintains the system, which is easy to access. Routine maintenance mainly involves analyzing battery data from the loggers and visual inspections.
The system is expected to last at least five years. The lifespan estimates consider the current condition of the batteries, how much they will be used, and how deeply they are discharged, and may last longer depending on actual usage.
The lower-capacity BMW EV batteries used here will likely not be reused in a third application due to their current condition.
However, the higher-capacity BMW EV batteries from the same program, which still hold up to 80% of their original capacity, are saved for a rural electrification project in Pos Sinderut, Pahang. Once they finish their second life there, Dr. Tan’s team plans to turn them into third-life smartphone charging stations, completing a full three-stage lifecycle: from electric vehicle, to rural home, to public charger.