BMW has prepared for the upcoming FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, an electric bike race which is a part of the MotoGP tournament.
Under its special livery, the pace car is an M50 i4 (see video) with two electric motors mounted one per axle for 544 PS (536 hp / 400 kW) total. It consumes between 18 and 22.5 kilowatt-hours per 100 km traveled according to the WLTP measurement standard. It also has a special ‘engine’ soundtrack composed specifically for the BMW M lineup.
The new safety car will debut on the Red Bull Ring at the Austria Gran Prix on August 15, 2021, replacing the i8 Hybrid as the new safety car of the event.
Sales of the i4 production car will begin in November. According to BMW M CEO Markus Flasch, the M50 i4 will be opening up a new era for the car marque, inheriting the sportiness, power and acceleration from ICE cars while being completely electric.
Flasch emphasized that it would be really difficult to find a better candidate for the role of a MotoE safety car than the environmentally clean i4.