Electric bikes are great. There’s something about the way they deliver instant torque, blast past pretty much everything you might put up against them (petrol stuff included) and they’re only at the very start of their development.
It’s an exciting world where the Isle of Man TT has served as a fantastic world platform to showcase the rapidity of the increase in expertise and speed of electric bikes. When they first started in 2010, they were quick but the petrol boys laughed at them anyway. Just for fun. Within only three years, electric bikes were lapping the island at an average of more than 100 mph.
Today, Lightning electric bikes claim to be the world’s fastest production bike (inc. petrol) with a top speed of 218 mph. That’s impressive by anyone’s standards.
And now we have a BMW. Today, they’ve announced their experimental eRR, an electric superbike that looks like it means business. Unfortunately for us, technical details have not yet been revealed so we cannot comment on how quick this thing will go. Nonetheless, BMW’s electric motor, as used in the i3 and i8, is a likely candidate to power the machine along. BMW have another electric two-wheeler, the C-Evolution scooter.
BMW have stated the eRR leans heavily on the S 1000 RR for many components and design.
The eRR has been created along with the Technical University of Munich and aims to embody the idea of an electric powered supersport motorcycle made by BMW Motorrad.
Stephan Schaller, Head of BMW Motorrad, emphasizes
“Since their market launch, the RR is giving the creeps to motorsport athletes. If acceleration, handling or topspeed – the RR is setting standards. However, if acceleration on the first metres, up to 50, 60 kph, is the point, the RR’s 199 bhp have to admit defeat by another BMW product: the C evolution with its electric drive.
We asked ourselves: What happens when combining a sport motorcycle and an electric drive? The experimental vehicle eRR brings the topic zero emission and electric drive on a new, more fascinating level.”
BMW Motorrad will announce technical details of the eRR at a later date.
Source; BMW Motorrad
