BMW Motorrad Vision DC Roadster – The boxer engine goes electric

Bruno Gomes

June 26, 2019

BMW Motorrad Vision DC Roadster is the future of the boxer engine. The Vision DC Roadster is the newest concept from the German manufacturer.

Electric power is the future of motorcycles and the BMW Motorrad Vision DC Roadster is a proof of that. Governments are imposing stricter rules and manufacturers need to find solutions. And going electric seems to be the solution.

In fact, BMW Motorrad is already chasing the electric path for quite some time. The electric scooter C-evolution was the first two-wheel product from the German brand. But BMW Motorrad doesn’t want to produce only electric scooters. So they’ve decided to imagine how the famous boxer engine would be using electric power.

The result is the new Vision DC Roadster concept. As the name says, it’s a roadster. That means the bike is aggressive in its design. Sharp lines and angles create a sense of movement towards the front of the bike. The rear is higher than normal to emphasize this feeling. BMW Motorrad also decided to use specific design elements like the U shape LED daytime running lights.

The minimalistic design clashes against the big battery pack. The Vision DC Roadster gets a battery pack that is positioned vertically and longitudinally. The German manufacturer doesn’t say how much range that battery pack offers. On the side of the battery pack we can clearly see the remnants of the boxer engine. Namely the cylinder heads protruding to the outside of the battery pack.

To allow for better cooling of this component, BMW Motorrad uses cooling fins and an internal ventilation system. Contrasting with the big battery pack the compact electric engine fits under the batteries. Small in size, the engine connects to the drive-shaft that moves the beautiful rear wheel.

The Vision DC Roadster shows how BMW Motorrad can build premium electric motorcycles. So, this concept uses a lot of premium materials. From the carbon fiber fairings to the aluminum components, the Vision DC Roadster also features interesting safety features.

The special made tyres from Metzeler get stamp sized glowing elements. On the move these will create an interesting light effect, but also improve safety through better visibility.

Together with the Vision DC Roadster, BMW Motorrad also created a set of riding gear specific to this concept. The jacket is built in lightweight materials. On the back there are powerful magnets to allow the fixation of a special backpack. All these accessories also get glowing light details.

At the moment the Vision DC Roadster Is just a concept. A way to imagine how the boxer engine might be in the future. But BMW Motorrad has already shown in the past that these concept bikes are usually the preview of a production motorcycle.

Will we ever see a naked roadster with electric engine based on the Vision DC Roadster? If we need to guess this, we would say that by 2021 the Munich based brand will reveal the production bike based on this concept.