An Urban Electric from BMW
Electric motorcycles will be an important part of the future of motorcycling. While I have my reservations about owning one as they are right now, I’m very interested in seeing where things go in the future. My guess is that more and more riders will hear the whine of an electric motor over the rumble of an internal combustion engine, and BMW’s boss seems to agree.
In an interview with Cycle World, Dr. Markus Schramm, the head of BMW Motorrad, said that an electric urban motorcycle is coming. “In the urban environment, it is possible that there will be an electric BMW motorcycle in five years,” he said. Schramm went on to say that he is less sure of an electric touring, off-road, or sports motorcycle anytime soon.
That means we’re likely to see a smaller and very agile electric motorcycle from the company in the next decade. That bike will likely be positioned as a commuter vehicle, as that’s what makes the most sense for these bikes right now.
Schramm also noted that safety technology will be integrated into future bikes. He said that 50 percent of collision injuries are due to the fact that car drivers don’t see motorcyclists. He said that the technology is there to have motorcycles use connected vehicle technology to alert cars of a motorcycle’s presence. I think if BMW were able to pair that technology with an electric powertrain, they would have the ultimate commuter motorcycle.