As most of the major motorcycle manufacturers in the U.S., Europe and Japan continue to pursue battery-powered electric propulsion, BMW found itself asking, “What would an electric BMW motorcycle look like? And how would it be immediately recognizable as a BMW?”

Given that the opposed-twin “boxer” engine has been at the heart of BMW motorcycles for more than 90 years, the answer seems to be something along the lines of the newly-unveiled BMW Vision DC Roadster concept bike.

While the Vision DC’s battery is oriented in a standard vertical/longitudinal position, it has two cooling elements with integrated fans that extend out to each side, a nod to the protruding cylinders of the boxer engine. Slung underneath the battery and connecting to the driveshaft (another BMW hallmark) is the cylindrical electric motor itself.

Clutching the battery from above is a split, milled aluminum frame with what appear to be carbon fiber reinforcing tubes that span the opening where the fuel tank would normally be. The subframe also appears to be of a tubular carbon fiber design.

Up front is a Duolever fork capped with an LED daytime running light (DRL) flanked by two LED lights, one for low and one for high beam.

Even the rider’s clothes might offer a preview of things to come, including integrated lighting and a backpack that attaches to the jacket via magnets rather than straps.

Electric motorcycles are coming, whether you like it or not, and we’re excited to see BMW striving to stick to its signature look, making a battery-powered bike that’s still unmistakably a BMW.

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Source: RiderMagazine.com