BMW Motorrad’s prototype electric bike uses a variety of components from the brand’s car division.
The front-end of the E-Power Roadster Concept is borrowed from the S1000R, while the rear section is from an R 1200 RS.
Charge comes from a battery pack used in the 2-Series plug-in hybrid passenger car, while the motor is from the 7-Series limousine.
BMW has been working on its first electric sportsbike project for some years, although it has yet to confirm any production plans.
Either way, electric motorcycles are an eventual certainty, especially when you consider that Germany voted to ban the internal combustion engine by 2030, and other regions are getting stricter and stricter on petrol and diesel car regulations.
At some stage we will have to start taking electric motorcycles seriously, but it’s not all bad…
The latest BMW prototype has an effective torque figure of 1500Nm, and will sprint from zero to 100km/h in 2.9 seconds – just 0.2s slower than the current S1000RR.
With time, electrified motorcycles will be significantly faster and more efficient than ICE-powered bikes.
Like it or not, they’re coming.
Spencer has a keen eye for hard news, and does some of his best living on deadline day. He loves more than anything to travel on his motorcycle, and is adamant that Melbourne Bitter is a world-class lager. He also knows how to operate the big computery thing in the office. By night, Spencer plays guitar with Melbourne punk outfit LOUTS.
