Munich. In recent years, there has been an increase
in traffic in many city centres, and the mobility requirements of the
people who live there remain high. In its role as a premium provider
for individual mobility, the BMW Group is actively helping to create
the liveable city of the future. Here, its approach to mobility also
looks beyond the company’s core business. The BMW Group has already
presented a number of innovative micromobility solutions to the public
in the past, including the BMW Motorrad X2City, the Personal Mover Concept and the BMW Vision E³ Way elevated road concept. With
the unveiling of the electrified bicycle Concept DYNAMIC CARGO and the
e-scooter Concept CLEVER COMMUTE, the BMW Group engineers are once
again demonstrating their unrivalled ability to transfer know-how from
the automotive sector to concepts for micromobility vehicles.
Concept DYNAMIC CARGO: unexpected cycling pleasure plus
exceptional variability.
- Compact, three-wheeled cargo bike concept with high agility,
flexible usage options and increased year-round suitability - Variably usable loading platform with innovative attachments for
transporting loads and/or children as well as for leisure activities
Bicycles offer great flexibility of use, produce zero emissions and
are one of the fastest and most efficient means of transport in urban
areas. However, rainy, cold or slippery conditions are usually all it
takes for the majority of cyclists to switch to public transport or
their car instead. The same applies when they need to carry loads that
are too large for a standard luggage rack to handle, such as a larger
food shop, or to transport children. A wide range of cargo bikes are
now available that offer an additional alternative to using the car
for urban trips. However, many cargo bike concepts are wider and,
above all, longer than normal bicycles due to the requirements for
transporting loads and/or children. In conjunction with the resulting
additional weight and the possible payload, this leads to restrictions
of varying degrees compared to normal bicycles, particularly with
regard to driving agility and handling.
“Our goal was to develop a concept that retains the agility and
driving feel of a normal bicycle while adding innovative, safe
transport options” says Jochen Karg, Head of Vehicle Concepts in
the BMW Group’s New Technologies and China division. “The
“Concept DYNAMIC CARGO” is the first dynamic ‘pick-up’ cargo
bike that combines driving pleasure with flexible use and increased
year-round suitability.”
The key component of the three-wheeled Concept DYNAMIC CARGO is the
front main frame, which is connected to the rear section via a pivot
axle and tilts in corners. The rear section remains stable through all
corners without tilting towards the road. This combines with the
electrified powertrain – which is activated as soon as the rider
starts to pedal and drives the two rear wheels – to make the cargo
bike just as easy to ride as a standard bicycle. As well as producing
far greater riding stability in all weather conditions compared to
two-wheeler designs, the rear wheels with their rigid, non-pivoting
axle mounting also provide the basis for a versatile, pick-up-style
transport platform. This can be fitted with a selection of innovative
modular attachments for carrying luggage and/or children. The modular
design principle paves the way for many more use cases, too. The
non-pivoting design of the transport platform has the additional
benefit that the rider is barely aware of any extra weight being
carried, enabling safe, stable transportation of all loads while also
ensuring a pleasurable riding experience.
The concept is rounded off by a facility for adding a modular system
of weather protection. Together with the superior riding safety, which
proves especially useful in adverse weather, this makes the Concept
DYNAMIC CARGO an attractive means of transport all year round.
Although the BMW Group will not manufacture the Concept DYNAMIC CARGO
itself, it is already in discussions with potential licensees.
Concept CLEVER COMMUTE: the perfect companion for the “last mile”.
- Ergonomic design suitable for everyday use, excellent riding
stability and extremely compact when packed up - Genuine mixed-mobility option: innovative “public transport mode”
makes it easy to incorporate travel on public transport into longer journeys - Ideal for park ride: minimal size when packed makes it ideal
for carrying in the car boot
E-scooters have firmly established themselves in the urban mobility
mix, thanks to sharing schemes in particular. They offer flexible
usability, zero local emissions and the ability to get city dwellers
to their destination extremely quickly over short “last-mile” urban
journeys. The uptake of e-scooters for private ownership has been
relatively slow to date. Robust models that can be ridden safely are
difficult to take onto public transport or carry by car due to their
size, while small, more portable models suffer from poor riding stability.
With its Concept CLEVER COMMUTE, the BMW Group is now presenting an
e-scooter that folds easily for carrying on public transport and/or by
car without compromising on riding stability in any way. In public
transport mode, the footboard folds up at the sides and the rear wheel
pivots into the resulting aperture from below. This mechanism shortens
the wheelbase of the CLEVER COMMUTE substantially so that it can even
be carried on an escalator without difficulty. This is an important
requirement if the journey includes underground transport routes. It
can also be rolled along on both wheels in this mode, rather like a
trolley case. And the front wheel’s integral hub motor provides an
electric impulse that makes it easier to push the CLEVER COMMUTE up
ramps. The e-scooter’s compact dimensions when folded up means it
should be possible to take it on all forms of public transport free of charge.
The CLEVER COMMUTE can be folded up to a size that fits easily into
small vehicle boots, with larger boots able to accommodate several of
them for family outings. In the BMW Group range, this means that the
CLEVER COMMUTE fits into luggage compartments lengthways from the
3 Series upwards, for example, without any need to fold down the rear
backrest, and it can be carried crossways in MINI boots.
With its unique product characteristics, the CLEVER COMMUTE is a
versatile companion in the city and allows any journey to be completed
quickly, safely and easily. Its transformability makes it a truly
ideal solution for multimodal travel.
Although the BMW Group will not manufacture the Concept CLEVER
COMMUTE itself, it is already in discussions with potential licensees.
Both micromobility concepts have been designed in such a way that the
electric range can be scaled with regard to the respective
application. One final very important feature for city use is the
battery pack, which can be removed and charged at home.