New category of two wheelers added to the CRS

In the February update, we added the first two electric motorcycles to the CRS: the BMW C evolution and the Harley Davidson Livewire.

BMW C EVOLUTION
BMW was one of the first major motorcycle brands to announce an electric motorcycle. As BMW puts it: “With the BMW C evolution, you will experience the urban mobility of tomorrow today – without compromise. On the contrary: this electric maxi-scooter combines durability, dynamics and maneuverability in one design that also looks great.” The development for this electric motorcycle started as early as 2011. The final series production started in 2014.

The C evolution is available with an 8 kWh battery pack or 12.5 kWh for the Long Range version where the Long Range has a driving range of 160 km. Both battery packs have adopted the same battery technology as the BMW i3/i8. In order to maintain manoeuvrability and steering characteristics compared to conventional motorcycles, BMW’s manufacturers have developed the so-called Hybrid chassis. With this chassis, a low center of gravity is maintained. The battery pack with integrated controllers and inverters are part of the chassis. For the first responders, there is a service Emergency disconnection switch available to switch off the High Voltage/Drive System. The electric motor is liquid cooled, but the battery pack is air-cooled. First responders can assume that in case of leakage, the battery pack is not affected.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON LIVEWIRE
The development of a silent electric Harley-Davidson is a bold step for this brand and something the usual Harley-Davidson rider probably can’t really adopt. The Harley-Davidson riders prefer to be associated with “Load pipes save lives”.  But perhaps this motorcycle will be as much of a status symbol as the Tesla Model S. In the summer of 2014, Harley-Davidson presented the project “Project Livewire Experience”. After which the first test drives were made in America and later in 2015 in Canada and Europe. The first deliveries to customers started in September 2019.

The Livewire has an air-cooled lithium-ion battery pack from Samsung with a capacity of 15.5 kWh. This allows you to drive about 235 km, of course depending on driving style and outside temperature. As with electric cars, kinetic energy is captured via regenerative braking to charge the battery. The charging time to bring the battery level to 80% is 40 minutes on a DC fast charging station in combination with a CCS plug. A full charge takes an hour. Compared to the BMW C Evolution, the Livewire is more of a motorcycle in appearance. An engine with a frame and an “engine block” insight.

The Livewire has two service/emergency cables for the first responders under the upper “tank cover” that can be cut to deactivate the high voltage system.