The eyes of the world were focused on London for the Olympic Games. In that great city, BMW Motorrad also had the eyes of the world focused on the future of urban mobility with the revolutionary BMW C evolution electric scooter.
London was the ideal choice for the first real world test for the revolutionary scooter. What better test pilot than London resident and BMW Motorrad personality, Charlie Boorman.
Charley, along with Ewan McGregor became the public face of BMW Motorrad with the world wide success of The Long Way Around, The Long Way Down and Charley’s solo Race to Dakar.
Riding their R 1150 GS Adventure and R 1200 GS Adventure Boxers they added to the legend of the GS.
Whenever possible Charley climbs aboard his R 1200 GS to get around the crowded capital and he was excited to be able to ride the BMW C evolution in his hometown.
He grabbed the keys and with his wife Olly on the back, he headed on to the streets of London,
“The bizarre thing was that there was no noise,” said Charley. “Suddenly you can hear everything in London. Usually, when you’re on a scooter or motorcycle, all you hear is the noise of the engine and exhaust, whereas with the C evolution you just cruise through town and it’s actually a really pleasant, nice experience as you go along.”
“You never really know what to expect with an electric bike but one of the big tests is just getting on it and heading through London,” said Charley. “I must say that it had a good take-off, it felt instantly quick and stable – and very easy to ride. The handling is great too: it stops well, but if you want to get past a car you squeeze on the throttle and it just shoots past with a beautifully strong power delivery. I’m really, really impressed and I think I should keep one as a ‘run-around’ in town, to experiment with and show people just how good it is,” joked Charley, with a hint of seriousness.
“The great thing is that it’s got around a 100 kilometre range, so even if you’re living outside London, it’s the perfect commuting bike for the daily ride in and out of town. If you ever need a bit of extra distance, then you can put a quick 30-minute charge in while you’re at work. However, most of us could easily go to work and come back home again on one charge – and that’s the future
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