Electric motorcycles, like their automotive counterparts, are becoming more widely accepted modes of travel. Pioneers such as Zero Motorcycles have made two-wheeled electric motoring a viable option for commuting and recreation. As with any emerging tech, the limits are constantly tested, and manufacturers look to the track to develop and hone their vehicles. BMW Motorrad, the motorcycle arm of the Bavarian manufacturer, is pushing the limits of alternative power with its eRR concept, a supersport motorcycle powered by batteries.
BMW’s current lineup of plug-in vehicles inclues the i3 electric car, i8 hybrid sports car, and the C evolution electric scooter. In developing the experimental eRR, BMW Motorrad teamed up with the Technical University of Munich.
The eRR was built to showcase the potential of an all-electric superbike. It takes its chassis and design from BMW’s S1000RR, a technical masterpiece that haunts the dreams of speed-addicted riders. “Since their market launch, the RR is giving the creeps to motorsport athletes … acceleration, handling or top speed — the RR is setting standards,” said Stephan Schaller, Head of BMW Motorrad. However, he goes on to state that the 199-horsepower superbike is bested in acceleration from 50-60 kph by the little C evolution scooter.
Domestic interest in electric sportbikes has been fueled by the production Zero SR and the upcoming Victory Empulse. Lightning Motorcycles touts its electric LS-218 as the fastest production motorcycle in the world. On the European front, the Italian Energica EGO can hit 60 mph from a standstill in 3 seconds, and continue all the way to 150 mph.
In 2010, the famed Isle of Man TT race event hosted the first TT Zero, an all-electric motorsport event. Participating machines were developed by MIT, Kingston University, and Portland-based MotoCzysz.
So the market is ripe for a high performance electric entry from BMW. Details are slim at the moment, but tech specs for the eRR will be announced soon.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.