Here at the 2021 IAA, we had the chance to see BMW’s latest two-wheeled concept car in person. The BMW i Vision AMBY — along with its sportier counterpart, the BMW Motorrad AMBY — is an intriguing pedal-electric bicycle for the future. Not only is it mechanically impressive but it looks quite good as well. Here at the 2021 IAA, the AMBY siblings fit perfectly. In fact, we could use a pedal-electric bike to get around Munich, it’d make life a lot easier.
Both versions of the AMBY are cool looking. The standard BMW i Vision AMBY is ultra-modern, with a minimalist approach that feels very fitting for the times. It’s sleek, sophisticated, simple, and features slick designs, such as the internally-routed brake lines, which hide them from the exterior. While the Motorrad AMBY is sportier, with its unique single-sided rear swinging arm and chunkier tires. It looks like it could handle far more terrain than the standard bike.
The standard version is a true pedal-electric bike, meaning it needs to be pedal for the electric assistance to work. However, the Motorrad version doesn’t require pedaling , though it can still be pedaling if the rider chooses. However, the Motorrad bike has a grip-mounted throttle that can provide the electric propulsion.
Regardless of which bike you choose, there are three different speed ratings; 25 km/h (15.5 mph) for cycle tracks, 45 km/h (28 mph) for city center roads, and 60 km/h (37 mph) for multi-lane roads. There are different licenses and insurance required for the different speed ratings. Geofencing technology allows the bike to know where it is and which top speed it can use. Riders can also digitally connect with the AMBY so that their licensing and insurance are uploaded to the bike, therefor allowing the different speed ratings.
These sorts of urban mobility concepts are the sort that many automakers are looking at for the future. With automobiles becoming more and more taboo in urban city centers, premium pedal-electric bikes could be very popular among urbanites in the coming years.
