BMW C1-E Concept - The Future Urban Vehicle

German manufacturer BMW revealed today the result of its study for urban traffic, namely the C1-E concept, a short glimpse on how the future city vehicle would look like. Developed as a contribution to the European safety project eSUM (European Safer Urban Motorcycling), the C1-E concept is powered by an electric motor and aims to offer a high level of both active and passive safety.

According to BMW, the rider’s protection is provided by the safety cell with the roll-over bar and by a seat-belt. It might also be the only motorised single-track vehicle to be exempt from mandatory helmet wearing in almost all European countries.

The scooter-inspired concept vehicle has a low visual center of gravity and is fitted with a windscreen, a luggage space behind the rider and a side stand, which makes it suitable for everyday riding, as well as a high wind and weather protection level.

Powering the C1-E, the electric motor employed in the study is based on a lithium-ion battery, but it could also be equipped with a low-emissions internal combustion engine. However, there is no word of the concept entering series production very soon, so this is the only one of its kind for the moment.

The cities currently involved in the eSUM project include Paris, Rome, Barcelona and London and the manufacturers are BMW and Piaggio. The joint goal of this development is to guarantee safe motorcycle and motor-scooter transport in the inner-city traffic of the future.