WHILE IT WON’T save t-shirt-clad scooter riders from losing a few layers of flesh, BMW’s C1-E Concept - based on the European-market C1 - could at least save their lives in a more serious accident.
Equipped with a seat belt, front and rear impact zones, a full roll-bar and low centre of gravity, the C1-E has been designed for “optimum safety and practicality” in an urban environment.
Joining the more obvious safety features are anti-lock brakes, tyre pressure control, anti-slip control and traction control - features that many small cars still do not offer as standard.
Powered entirely by an electric motor sourced from the recently-bankrupt Vectrix, fed by a lithium-ion battery pack, the C1-E would seem to be both ’safe’ and ‘environmentally-sound’ (not a bad double in the current climate).
BMW says the C1-E has been designed to also accommodate a conventional petrol engine instead of the electric motor, if market conditions demand it.
For the future, BMW is researching forward-looking rider assistance systems not unlike the infra-red alert systems available in some cars today.
These can trigger dynamic safety evasive systems or warn the driver of impending weather hazards, road obstacles, sudden braking and traffic light alerts.
Loading ...
Comments
Click here to jump to Add Comment box
How do you get a picture next to your name?
Get a Gravatar. Click here to find out more.
Nothing about this thing makes sense. Last time I checked rain doesn’t always come down vertically, nor does a scooter remain perfectly level when cornering. So if you are still going to get wet if it rains, whats the point of a canopy?
Now I’ve crashed my motorbike once, and have seen many crashes on tv. Two things stood out. One, a bike either low sides or highsides, with the vast majority of crashes being low sides. Neither of these crashes will be made any safer with a roll bar, because a motorcycle doesn’t roll like a car. And when I did crash, I’m sure as hell glad I wasn’t strapped into it, as the bike ended up sliding underneith a car, whereas I stopped short.
They say its got a low centre of gravity, but it’d have a lower one without the useless canopy. And the usefulness of traction control on a scooter is very debatable. Race bikes have traction control because of the massive power to weight ratios that means the rider can easily overpower tyre grip and stack it, particularly with the lean angles they can achieve. Scooters, even the Burgmans of the world, don’t have this problem, particularly with their automatic transmissions, even in the wet. So unless you are absolutely trying, in which case what you need is more rider training and skill rather than traction control, you can’t break traction in a way that traction control could prevent.
Just seems most of this things ‘innovations’ have less to do with actual safety, and more to do with making the rider feel safer, which usually leads to riding in a more reckless manner.
I’m all for increased safety, but this seems misplaced.
The use of traction control is a definite need because automatic transmissions do not account for slippery surfaces like a tram track. The mechanical design assumes that the faster the wheel is turning, the more power can be applied. So if the rear wheel is on a slippery tram track it will spin faster and faster till the rider falls off. (or they throttle off).
The cage is not a safety feature. I have had 2 major accidents on a scooter. One being hit from behind at high speed and the other someone pulling out in front of me. Both instances I only had minor injuries (if you call a broken wrist minor) and this is due to leaving the scooter i.e. in the first instance me sliding and the scooter tumbling into peices and the second me flying over the car and the scooter crumpling beyond repair.
There is a missconception that scooters are safe because they don’t look like a motorbike, however scooters generally have inferior performance in all but two areas, maneuverability (the ability to turn more quickly) and a design that does not pin the riders legs under a heavy engine in a crash. The “cage” design increases the “pinning” effect.
Metal is hard air is soft, As a obsessive scooter rider, I’d rather leave the scene of the accident flying in high quality motorcycle gear and pray that there aren’t any objects in my path.
i would welcome the addition of an airbag in such a vehicle
More crap from overpaid, educated ignorance. It might be perfectly engineered , but it’s totally impractical. Small wheels are unsafe on our rough roads, and short wheelbases pitch and yaw too savagely for safety in the bumpy corners. I had an Honda Elite-it was too slow & dangerous for Perth traffic and roads. You MUST have at least 20bhp for >=1hr for Oz city traffic. Min wheel dia 16″, wheelbase 54″ ideal, +/-2″ acceptable.
As for the warning features, only an heads up display will do, as bike riders don’t look at instrument displays much. They’re too busy checking surrounding traffic, road conditions, and where they’re going!!!! NO rider wants any external interference in the course he’s chosen to ride. Just advise him of the dangers and he’ll make the best decision for him, even if it is fatal.