BMW Unveils E-Power Roadster Concept: Everything We Know About The All-Electric Motorcycle

BMW (BMW.DE) has taken the wraps off its new E-Power Roadster Concept – an all-electric motorcycle. The E-Power Roadster is reportedly a more functional look at BMW’s initial electric concept bike that was previously displayed.

The all-electric E-Power Roadster Concept motorcycle develops 134 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque with a 290 kg (639 pounds) weight from the use of a trellis frame that is reminiscent of the BMW S1000R model with the drivetrain engineered by the company’s car division, Autoblog reported.

"We’re really happy with what we have achieved with the ‘C evolution’ (big scooter), but it is a solution for urban transport," Christoph Lischka, head of BMW Motorrad, said in an interview with Motorcycle News. “This E-Power Roadster is a sporty bike for someone who wants to ride in the mountains and enjoy the ride.

"For this person the bike needs to have 200 km of range, so we won’t be releasing a bike like this until it’s capable of 200 km - 300 km of real riding. Right now the market and the infrastructure to support such a machine isn’t ready."

BWM pitted the E-Power Roadster Concept against its S1000R in a drag race, which proved the all-electric bike to be only 0.2 seconds slower as it can hit zero to 100 kph in 2.9 seconds, according to Autoblog. Through the development of the E-Power Roadster, BMW reportedly said that it may lose another 30 kg (66 pounds) in the process, making it even lighter and leaner.

The battery pack on the motorcycle takes from BMW’s 2-series plug-in hybrid with the engine taken from BMW’s 7 series with a battery capacity of 13-kW when paired with BMW’s inline drive motor, according to the news outlet. Charging for the electrified motorcycle can reportedly occur in about an hour.

“We do not want to be like Tesla, installing fast-chargers everywhere – these cost around €110,000 ($122,298) each. At BMW we need to earn money, not burn money,” Lischka told Motorcycle News.

The E-Power Roadster is a concept motorcycle at this point, which BMW launched following its unveiling of the Vision DC Roadster concept bike that has the battery fitted where the engine typically is placed and a drive motor under the battery pack.

Shares of BMW stock were up 1.38% as of market close on Wednesday.