BMW hasnβt been shy about playing around with new electric two-wheeler designs, though the number that have actually made it onto showroom floors is significantly lower. This time weβre getting a look at a potential new BMW electric scooter that may actually make it to production.
The scooterβs folding design is simple yet clever, creating a platform that looks both relatively easy to produce and highly effective as an urban mobility platform.
A far cry from the companyβs CE 04 and CE 02 electric scooters and motorbikes, this light electric scooter is of the standing variety, making it more cost-effective and transportable.
Our first look comes to us from patent drawings that show off a large-wheeled design with an innovative rear wheel folding mechanism. In addition to a typical handlebar stem folding point, a second axle in front of the rear wheel allows the scooter to tuck that wheel away in the center of the body, creating a more compact, folded setup.
The floorboard appears to pivot up and out of the way to allow for the rear wheel to swing under and through the center of the frame.
RideApart pulled out some specs from the patent, revealing that the motorβs power will be at most 500W, or βnot more than 1400 watts if at least 60 percent of the power is used for self-balancing.β The patent doesnβt really discuss much of any intended self-balancing feature, so itβs unclear if we can truly expect to see any self-balancing tech from BMW here.
Thereβs no word on an actual top speed, but the patent does include language that mentions a 20 km/h (12 mph) German regulation for scooters. Thatβs of course rather slow for the larger electric scooter industry, and so BMW would presumably have faster versions for the non-German market.
We also donβt have an exact weight, other than a note that the scooter would weigh βnot more than 55 kgβ, which is pretty much a given considering that few people would want to use a 120 lb scooter that barely goes faster than a jog.
This isnβt BMWβs first venture toward a standing electric scooter, but is a much more serious design compared to the companyβs previous weak sauce attempt.
That original e-scooter from 2019 was more of a partnership with scooter company Micro than a true BMW-developed scooter. Now weβre getting a look at what the motorcycle maker can do when it actually contributes to the design and engineering efforts.
Thereβs no telling if this BMW folding electric scooter will ever see the light of the day. But considering that BMW has turned even more far-out designs for EVs into actual products on their sales list, we shouldnβt rule it out.
