BMW MOTORRAD CEO DR. MARKUS SCHRAMM
P60
Interview
that's actually quite fun to drive."
With ongoing development of
battery technology, it really makes
it fun to drive these vehicles. But
in the motorcycle industry you are
not forced to ride electric, and
therefore your decision to do so is
decided by how much fun it is to
ride such a vehicle. That means
it's customer driven, and so I think
it's important to direct our strategy
with this in mind.
The Fantic Caballero
electric street enduro was
launched at EICMA, as a trail
bike with the convenience and
cleanliness of electric propul-
sion. Is this something BMW
should be thinking about?
We are working on this! I'm
convinced that the next genera-
tion of battery technology, which
is due around 2021, will result in
many more real-world EV products
for customers, and we are there-
fore in a good position at BMW.
Other companies with a lower
technology level can try to match
us, but we are the pioneers of this
evolution in electro-mobility, so we
do not need to jump on each and
every train that comes passing.
Instead, we will clearly focus on
developing real-world products for
the customer.
The development of lithium-ion
battery technology in terms of
range and recharging, as well as
cost, is what is most important
in making electro-mobility both
practical and affordable. I think
the range issue for the motorcycle
industry is not as important as for
cars, because while it depends on
the kind of bike you are riding, you
already have ranges of 136-142
miles, and this is quite sufficient
for most users.
At the other end of the price
and volume scale from elec-
tric, are you satisfied with the
