BMW news - The hard cell - 2009

BMW's C1 - that bulbous scooter with a roof and a screen - has gone electric. A favourite among softie bikers, the C1 was designed so they could leave their helmets at home. But the UK government rained on that idea and refused to change the law to allow scooterists to ride about with naked heads.
 
Other countries, though, allow helmetless riding. Which is why BMW has taken the C1 a step further and fitted it with some lithium-ion batteries so you can, erm, charge around without the annoying buzz of a tiny little engine.
 
Most of the safety features remain, including seatbelts and rollover hoops and side-protection bars, so that if you're swiped by a bendy bus, you will simply slide along the road without bashing your head. Though you might look a bit daft as you hang from your belts, at 90 degrees to the tarmac, with your cheeks and other wobbly bits sagging limply towards the road.
 
What an excellent concept! And it is indeed a concept, as BMW is still considering whether to take the battery-powered C1 into production.
 
So stay tuned, scooter fans. We'll keep you posted.