BMW and popular music band Coldplay have unveiled a mobile show battery power solution for the upcoming Music of the Spheres world tour. BMW will provide the world’s first mobile, rechargeable show battery for the band’s upcoming shows around the globe.
The show battery will provide the necessary electric power during live performances using more than 40 recyclable car batteries. As a result, this will make the series of concerts more sustainable and one of the greenest tours in music history.
The storage technology for the power supply during the live performances will be provided by partly recycled BMW i3 batteries. It’s good to see second-life use of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. This technology is an essential part of the BMW Group’s vision of sustainability and circular economy.
The show batteries will provide the necessary super low emission electric power and replace the usual diesel and petrol generators. This will result in a significant reduction of the carbon footprint of all the band’s live performances.
After use, the batteries can be recharged using a range of renewable sources including solar installations, a kinetic stadium floor, power bikes and generators powered by hydro-treated vegetable oil. The kinetic stadium floor and the power bikes will harness the collective power of the fans themselves.
Hopefully, more bands will suit and this could become the blueprint for the entire live industry.
Chris Martin, Coldplay frontman, said: “We’re proud to partner with BMW to create the world’s first tourable, rechargeable show battery. which will allow us to power our concerts almost entirely from clean, renewable energy.”
Jens Thiemer, BMW senior vice president customer and brand, said: “A common awareness of sustainability has led during recent years to an intensive, creative co-creation process between BMW and Coldplay.
“The campaign song Higher Power’ marking the launch of our all-electric models BMW iX and BMW i4, as well as Coldplay’s performance at BMWs virtual world of JOYTOPIA, were the first major highlights of our successful cooperation.
“With the use of second-life batteries from BMW i3 vehicles we are now helping Coldplay’s world tour become even more sustainable.”
