The BMW Group Research division is taking important leaps ahead as it unveils two innovative mobility concepts in the form of an electrified cargo bike and an e-scooter. BMW Group as a pioneer in electromobility and exploring innovative mobility ideas is now presenting the fruit of its Research division, which came with two stunning concepts covering the area of micromobility. The two vehicle address basic shortcomings of utilization in the now overcrowded cities and offer alternative, ingenious solutions that can be used all year round.
The first concept is dubbed DYNAMIC CARGO and it is basically a three-wheeled “pick-up” cargo bike that has been developed with the purpose of offering increased agility, convenience and everyday suitability, as Jochen Karg, Head of Vehicle Concepts in the BMW Group’s New Technologies and China division, explains: “Our goal was to develop a concept that retains the agility and driving feel of a normal bicycle while adding innovative, safe transport options”.
The DYNAMIC CARGO bike makes up for the inconveniences of ordinary cargo bikes, which are wider and heavier than two-wheelers, thus making them less agile and more difficult to handle.
The cargo bike proposed by BMW Group Research comes up with a front frame connected to the rear section via a central pivot, thus helping it tilt when cornering and improving overall handling and agility. Furthermore, the rear section remains fixed all the time as to ensure safety in all situations. Then, there is the electrified powertrain of the DYNAMIC CARGO bike, which gets activated with pedal motion and helps reduce the overall workload, making it similar to riding a conventional two-wheeled bicycle.
The cargo storage unit on the rear frame offers the possible to install additional innovative modular attachments for carrying luggage and/or children. The overall electric range of the DYNAMIC CARGO concept bike is 20 kilometers (12 miles), with the battery pack offering the possibility to be easily removed and conveniently recharged at home.
The second concept is entitled CLEVER COMMUTE and is basically a highly modular and flexible e-scooter that is perfect for last-mile, multimodal trips and entirely suitable to be carried on public transport means. The engineers at BMW Group Research managed to surpass the challenge of creating a scooter that maintains its physical safety and riding stability characteristics unaffected in all situations.
The folding mechanism for public transport mode is pretty simple: the footboard folds up at the sides and the rear wheel pivots into the resulting aperture from below. The reduced wheelbase also makes it ideal for the e-scooter to be carried also on elevator ladders. As well, the front wheel’s integral hub motor provides an electric impulse that makes it easier to push the CLEVER COMMUTE e-scooter up ramps.
Furthermore, being possible to carry it on every form of public transport at no extra cost, the CLEVER COMMUTE also offers the possibility to be conveniently carried in the trunk of the car, given the intelligent folding mechanism and the overall compact resulting dimensions. It can easily fit in all BMW vehicle boots starting from 3 Series onwards displaced lengthway, while in the MINI boots, the storage can be done crossways.
Like in the case of the DYNAMIC CARGO bike, the CLEVER COMMUTE e-scooter is capable of an electric range of 20 kilometers, as well allowing for simple home recharging of the battery pack.
Although the BMW Group will not manufacture the two micromobility concepts, the automotive conglomerate has already started discussions with potential licensees for a future serial production.
