B2B News | At the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2024, an event sponsored by BMW, Mr. Flasch used the platform of presenting the future R20 roadster with a 2-liter boxer engine to discuss his vision for electric motorcycles at BMW. His statements left little doubt that the company is headed towards producing a line of high-performance electric motorcycles in the near future, fulfilling the dreams of many avid motorcyclists.
The future of electric motorcycles is always a topic worth discussing. Markus Flasch, CEO BMW Motorrad: “Today things have shifted. Demand for electric motorcycles has reached a plateau, forcing us to revise our strategic plans in the electric vehicle industry. As a result, our focus is primarily on Urban Mobility, where e-bikes are gaining popularity. We are proud to say that we already have two top-performing 100% electric products for city use in our portfolio: the CE 04 and CE 02.
Markus Flasch reports that BMW has successfully captured 77% of the market with their electric maxi-scooter, the BMW CE 04, and their smaller model, the BMW CE 02, which was unveiled earlier this year. Mr. Flasch believes that there is no need for BMW to invest in a motorcycle to compete for the remaining 23% of the market.
It was also Markus Flasch who had decided to halt progress on the BMW Vision DC Roadster. His reasoning, which barely touched on environmental concerns, was that “after evaluating the costs and capabilities of the Vision DC Roadster, it was well-developed but still not competitive with models like the M 1000 RR.”
In conclusion, he stated, “It’s pointless for now; perhaps in the future.” He added that none of the bikers he spoke to were willing to spend 30,000 euros on an electric motorcycle just to ride around a lake or climb a mountain pass. No one was planning to travel from Africa to the North Cape either. These words may seem vague, but they are clarified by his final statement: “Motorcycling is about freedom and independence, and the electric vehicle does not fulfill that need at this time.”
Sources: LinkedIn, The BMW Motorrad Podcast, RideApart, CleanRider
