Coldplay is going on a world tour with its new album, “Music Of The Spheres,” and the power for its shows will be supplied by recycled BMW i3 batteries.
“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,” said Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
The green initiative is the first demonstration of automotive batteries being rendered suitable for second-life applications, claims BMW, and it’s an important step in EV progress. Automotive batteries are carbon-intensive to produce, so finding ways to recycle them will be important in reducing their carbon footprint and, potentially, their monetary cost.
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The batteries will replace diesel and gas generators at Coldplay shows to make the series of concerts more sustainable. The shows will require 40 recyclable car batteries that come from i3s.
The batteries will be recharged using a number of methods. These include solar panels and generators powered by Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, while a kinetic stadium floor and power bikes will harness the power of concert attendees to recharge the batteries as well.
“A common awareness of sustainability has led during recent years to an intensive, creative co-creation process between BMW and Coldplay,” said Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer and Brand BMW. “With the use of second-life batteries from BMW i3 vehicles we are now helping Coldplay’s world tour become even more sustainable.”
Coldplay has also lent its song Higher Power to the advertising campaign for BMW’s latest EVs, the iX and the i4.