QJMotor electric hints at Benelli
future By Ben Purvis
Benelli has been rather quiet over the last couple of years , despite motoring to the top of Italy ' s motorcycle sales charts with the TRK502 . However , the company ' s Chinese sister brand - QJMotor - gives an insight into the direction that Benelli might take and has recently revealed the QJ7000D electric sports bike . QJMotor , like Benelli , is a subsidiary of Qianjiang , and in turn part of the vast Geely Group that also owns big names like Volvo and Lotus , and is Harley- Davidson ' s partner in China . So far , QJMotor ' s range of bikes - aimed at the growing Chinese market for high-end machines - have been heavily based on Benelli designs , but with the QJ7000D , the technology transfer could go in the other direction . The name , dull though it is , is an informative one . Chinese electric bikes are numbered by their rated output in watt , so the QJ7000D is officially a 7 kW offering . That might not seem like much - 7 kW is just 9.4 bhp - but electric motors are usually capable of more than their rated outputs , and QJMotor says the QJ7000D actually puts out 10 kW ( 13.4 bhp ), to put it right into the 125 cc arena . With the electric bike market largely split into two categories - ultraexpensive machines that try to rival petrol bikes for performance at one end , super cheap , low-performance scooters at the other - the QJ7000D doesn ' t have many obvious rivals as a 125-class sports bike , and it separates itself more by opting for unusual tech for an electric bike . Check out the levers and foot controls and you ' ll see there ' s a conventional clutch , gear-shifter and foot-operated back brake as opposed to the twistand-go operation that most electric bikes adopt . Gears and a clutch are usually redundant on electric bikes , with a couple of exceptions including the now-dead Brammo models and Kymco ' s planned RevoNEX , but they add a level of control that ' s appealing
BMW CE 02 and AMBY
By Ben Purvis
A decade on from showing the C- Evolution electric scooter , BMW is ramping up its battery-powered two wheeled activity - showing two new concepts , both of which have a strong chance of reaching production . Having launched the CE 04 scooter earlier this year , BMW has shown the Concept CE 02 - a smaller , lower performance electric offering that sits somewhere between a scooter and a minibike , aiming to appeal to young urban riders . Mechanically , the bike is powered by an 11kW ( 15 hp ) electric motor , making it
AMBY a learner-legal machine , with BMW claiming a top speed of 56 mph ( 90 km / h ) and a matching range of 56 miles ( 90 km ). It ' s clearly targeting low-speed use as a city commuter , and in that role its light 120 kg weight and small dimensions should make it a viable proposition . The photos show that it ' s very much a handmade one-off at the moment . Not least because it ' s currently powered by a bank of off-the-shelf lead-acid batteries , which would have to be replaced with a lithium-ion pack to meet BMW ' s performance and range claims .
to riders who want to interact more with their machines . Although the QJ7000D ' s shape is relatively conventional , its batterypowered design means it ' s very different under the skin . The ' tank ' is actually just a cover over a helmetsized storage area in the front , with the batteries and electronics sitting further down behind the fairing sides . Initial performance claims include a 65 mph top speed and a 62-mile range , which doesn ' t sound like much , but could be alleviated if the QJ7000D is capable of fast-charging or has a battery-swap capability - two elements
CE 02
BMW ' s second urban electric bike concept is the Vision AMBY , a bike that straddles the space between electrically assisted bicycle and a moped . Shown in two forms - one with pedals and looking more like a bicycle , the other as a pure electric vehicle - the AMBY ' s trick is that it can be altered to suit various licence categories or uses . In full-power form , the AMBY is good for a top speed of 60 km / h ( 37 mph ), but it can also be restricted to 45 km / h ( 28 mph ) or 25 km / h ( 15.5 mph ) to suit the licence status of the rider . What ' s more , the company suggests it can use geolocation to work out where it ' s being ridden , automatically restricting that haven ' t yet been revealed . The battery itself is a 72V , 60Ah pack , and although QJMotor has yet to reveal production plans for the bike , it ' s clearly not far from being a viable proposition as a showroom model . Whether Benelli will adopt the bike , or a variation of it , for the European market remains to be seen , but with Husqvarna entering the 125 cc-class electric market with the upcoming E- Pilen , and several other European companies also showing an increasing interest in the same idea , it would be an instant shortcut for the Italian brand .
the speed to suit . For instance , in its lowest-speed form , the AMBY would be classed as a pedelec in many European countries , and in some of Europe ' s less heavily regulated markets it could probably be ridden without a licence , insurance or registration . The bike includes a rear-facing display that shows its rated top speed at any time , allowing police to judge whether the rider is complying with rules regarding licence and clothing for the category it ' s operating in . BMW has also revealed a pedal-assisted version of the bike using similar technology but in a more conventional bicycle package .
20 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2021 www . idnmag . com