Just the other day, I was at a local sporting goods store looking at scooters—the traditional kind, the kind that’s powered by your own, ah, personal kinetic energy. I had never used one before, but it was starting to look appealing because life in urban settings, Asian or otherwise, has been getting kind of crowded and tiring. Maybe it was time to upgrade from walking, I thought, so I made a mental note to do some online research.
In a funny quirk of circumstance, the research has instead come to me, thanks to BMW!
Take a gander at the BMW E-Scooter: a sign of the times, and the latest brainchild of the BMW Group as it collaborates once again with Micro Mobility Systems AG. Iterating on the work they already did with internal projects like the Personal Mover Concept, the two tech icons combine their expertise to upgrade one of the most casual ways we get around.
While the BMW E-Scooter isn’t the first such electric scooter, it’s the first that comes with the unquestionable pedigree and top-tier standards of its tech-savvy parents. You won’t be winning any races with its 20 km/h top speed, but then that’s the point: safety is the order of the day, and you have that in spades thanks to its two braking systems and built-in lights. The effective range is 12 kilometers on a single charge, and that charge can be fully topped up in just two hours.
And speaking of power, if not for the lights and the discreet cables (which you might assume are just for the brakes) you might miss the fact that it’s an electric scooter. The 150-watt motor and lithium-ion battery are so subtly designed that at first glance the whole affair looks just like an ordinary, non-electric, foldable scooter. Er, that just so happens to have the BMW logo.
But hey, if going electric isn’t your thing and you do prefer rocking it old-school, you can still marshal some of that BMW panache with their accompanying City Scooter design:
Still sleek, still sexy, and still as classic as a BMW-Micro collaboration can be (although I would prefer that the span of white leading up to the handlebars be color-customizable). They don’t mess with what works: instead, they make it better. Secure folding mechanisms, a lower footplate in relation to wheel height, and confident wheel sizes are par for the upgraded course, but then they get cute and clever with an integrated kickstand. Even if you’re a purist, the City Scooter is guaranteed to make you go hmmm.
And finally, for those of you who have kids with a need for (safe) speed, there’s the BMW Kids Scooter:
Naturally, this isn’t your ordinary kid’s scooter. Aside from being the most durable toy-chest-on-wheels ever (it’s got a storage compartment), it’s also designed to grow alongside your little one. Get it for them at age 3, and then adjust it as they mature all the way up to 12. How’s that for a long-term investment in your child’s mobility development?
And yes, it also comes in black.
All these models are set to show up in selected BMW dealers, with the E-Scooter making its grand entrance in September 2019.
If you’d like to know more, there’s always www.bmwgroup.com. Happy scooting!
