This is BMW's all-electric bike of the future
You may recall, almost three years ago, BMW showed us the Motorrad Vision Next 100 – a concept bike celebrating the marque’s centenary, and one that refused to topple over regardless of how incompetent its rider was. Well, the Motorrad dream factory has once again whirred into life and produced this – the Vision DC Roadster, a study on how an all-electric BMW bike could retain the barrel-chested look of its petrol-powered, boxer-engined siblings.
This in an exercise, then, in how you stack the batteries and motor to pay homage to your heritage, but also to prove that BMW is preparing to follow the Harley Davidson Livewire’s lead with a pure-EV, naked muscle bike of its own.
Back to those batteries. They’re stacked vertically and longitudinally orientated, which leaves space for a cylinder-shaped motor underneath connected via a shaft to the rear wheel. More important, aesthetically at least, are the ‘side elements’ fitted with cooling ribs and fans. These pop out when the bike is switched on, indicating you’re ready to ride, neatly echoing the trademark protruding cylinder heads on its boxer engine.
Unfortunately, BMW has chosen not to pull some power and performance figures out of a hat leaving us to speculate, but reminds us that with all electric bikes the ‘high level of torque right at set-off makes for breath-taking acceleration’. The use of aluminium for the frame and carbon-fibre for what fairing there is mean it shouldn’t be too much of a porker, either.
Other cool features, beside the Biker Mice From Mars silhouette, include bespoke Metzeler tyres with five, stamp-sized lights integrated into them to illuminate the wheels in the dark, and a two piece suit that provides maximum protection and looks maximum casual, with a magnetic rucksack for ease of taking it on and off.
www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/bmws-all-electric-bike-future
Tesla Model 3 gets sporty makeover with cool Vorsteiner kit
Custom body kit maker Vorsteiner has given the feisty yet some might say, demure looking, Tesla Model 3 a makeover, creating a bolt-on body kit to match the “mass-market” electric car’s look to its inner power.
The Model 3 is a masterpiece of simplicity, but its minimalist looks might be accused of being deceitful.
Notoriously anti-EV Top Gear recently admitted that the groundbreaking all-electric sedan is in fact “utterly uncompromised” when it pitted a Performance Model 3 against a BMW M3 last May, a testament to the 3’s purely electric inner workings.
That’s great, but there are some who want their car to be loud and proud as they cruise down the street.
Enter Vorsteiner, makers of all things sporty for high-end brands from BMW and Audi to Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.
The bolt-on kit, dubbed “Volta Aero” by the custom body kit maker, transforms the humble Model 3 into a mean and lean-looking driving machine.
Made from lightweight carbon fibre the kit is designed for strength and durability while not compromising performance, says the company.
It includes front spoiler, side skirts, a bold rear diffuser, and a sleek but by no means meek stylish lid spoiler.
Completing the look are 21-inch forged wheels in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.
The photos say it all, although we wonder can’t help but think the red multi-coat might’ve made for a speedier look.
Vorsteiner Australia have confirmed that local orders can be made via Rolling Stock and will be ready to freight by the end of July – just in time for August when Model 3 deliveries are slated to begin.
Pricing is $A2,420 for the front spoiler, $A4,360 for the Track Edition rear diffuser, $A3,065 for the standard rear diffuser, $A3,230 for the side skirts and $A1,790 for the spoiler.
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This electric, 720bhp BMW 5 Series is faster than an M5
Welcome to BMW’s ‘Power BEV’ development car – a 5 Series quite unlike any other. Because rather than a conventional internal-combustion engine, it has no fewer than three of the company’s next-gen electric drive units and a whopping great battery. Oh yes.
BMW says its aim was to “build an experimental vehicle which impresses not only with its longitudinal dynamics but also in terms of lateral dynamics”. To that end, the Power BEV is very fast. Very fast indeed.
The company claims “in excess of 720bhp” and 0-62mph in “comfortably under 3 seconds”, which is most adequate.
The basic motor is the same one that will be fitted to the production iX3 electric SUV, which is due as early as this year. That will only have one of them though, to the Power BEV’s three.
Two of those motors are on the rear-axle (they’re independently controlled for precise torque vectoring) while the third does the fronts. Handily, all the drive systems have been integrated into the existing 5 Series chassis (the 5 was never designed to be a full-EV, of course) in such a way that they don’t eat into passenger space.
The Power BEV does not preview a production car – don’t expect to see a 720bhp BMW M5e at your local dealer anytime soon. Would be interesting though, wouldn’t it?
This £300k electric Mustang is going to Goodwood
150mph Ford Mustang EV from ‘Charge Cars’ to be shown next month
Much is occurring at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place in a couple of weeks’ time. One such thing is the debut of this – a fully-electric, first-gen Ford Mustang.
British company Charge Cars, which is in no way associated with Ford, is planning on building 499, using properly licenced, brand-new bodyshells and EV components from Arrival (the firm behind these adorable vans).
A 64kWh battery supposedly gives 200 miles of range, while the 400kW and 1,200Nm motor (that’s 536bhp and 885lb ft) means 0-62mph takes under 4 seconds. The top speed is 150mph.
Prices start at £300,000 – that’s more than a Lamborghini Aventador – and you can reserve one now for a refundable £5,000 deposit.
Charge claims its engineers have worked for the likes of Williams F1, McLaren and Jaguar Land Rover, and that as well as Arrival, it works closely with Roborace and Michelin.
And that’s about all we know. Hopefully all will be revealed at Goodwood, where Charge’s Mustang will be shown alongside the likes of a more hardcore Ford GT, Ultima’s 1,200bhp RS and the cute little Honda e, among other things.
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In the meantime, what other classics would you like to see transformed into full-on EVs?
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www.topgear.com/electric
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