BMW Won’t Make Electric Motorcycles Any Time Soon

While BMW has been one of the biggest proponents for electric powertrains, the brand has been quite active in the four-wheeler space. Not so much with its two-wheeler offerings. Sure, the brand has the likes of the CE 02 and CE 04, and yet the Bavarian brand hasn’t been very aggressive about expanding this line-up. 

Why has that been the case? Well, BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch just explained the reason behind such an approach in an interview with the Italian publication Motociclismo. 

The CEO stated that it took into account how dwindling demand has been one of the most determining factors for this approach. Coupled with the fact, that several of its competitors (legendary motorcycle makers like Ducati, KTM, etc) have abstained from committing to a full all-out high-performance electric motorcycle. As a consequence, BMW Motorrad concluded that the market is still not ready for an influx of such two-wheelers. 

Flasch also stated that BMW does not need another 11 kW model, referring to the CE 02. Plus, most of the electric two-wheelers that have become popular are 125 cc-equivalent models. All of these factors have led the company to not focus on making another new high-performance electric motorcycle for at least the next two to three years. 

On The Flip Side

However, high-performance electric motorcycles have been the gateway for many new brands like Livewire, Livewire, Damon, Verge, and our own homegrown brand Ultraviolette. Its respective products have managed to create excitement for the segment and also at the same time establish itself in the market. 

But as exciting as these motorcycles are, they have been compromised due to their high purchase price and an underdeveloped infrastructure that keeps these models from achieving the sales numbers that its ICE-counterpart models boast of. 

Is BMW Making The Right Call?

Yes. The EV scenario is quite complex and it is still evolving. We are still far away from having a hassle-free EV ownership experience. And that is a very crucial reason why BMW Motorrad would not want to dip its toes in such mucky conditions. 

Sure, EV technology related to two-wheelers has developed exponentially, but that still doesn’t counter the fact of what happens to your electric motorcycle after 4-5 years of ownership, especially when your battery has depleted. As far as we don’t reach stable grounds, several legendary motorcycle brands will quite naturally abstain from committing to a fully electric motorcycle line-up. Electric scooters, on the other end, are a completely different ballgame, which is used mostly in urban setups. But with motorcycles — people would want to tour and have the benefit of charging infrastructure in every nook and corner. So, while we are still far away from achieving that, we’ll be content with the ICE products that these brands have on offer.