BMW’s new electric i4 announced as MotoE safety car
BMW’s new fully electric vehicle, the i4, has been announced as the new safety car for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup at the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Austria.
The BMW i4 M50 Safety Car will replace the BMW i8 Safety Car at the electric equivalent of MotoGP on the 15th August at the Red Bull Ring. The i8 previously led the field in the electric motorcycle series, which takes place on the support programme for MotoGP.
The new safety car is based on the BMW i4 M50 which will be launched in November 2021. The first fully-electric performance car from BMW M GmbH will feature an electric motor on both the front and the rear axle, generating a total output of 400 kW/544 hp.
The new saloon will also be able to explode from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, and has a WLTP combined range of 367 miles.
Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH, said: “With the BMW i4 M50, we are entering a new era and presenting our first M with a fully electric drive train. With the first M BEV, we are setting course for a future, in which the combination of extremely sporty, performance vehicles and electrification is an exciting theme. We are showing that everything people have come to value about M – the typical emotional M driving experience with sportiness, power and dynamics – is also possible in a fully electric vehicle.
“While the production version of the four-door Gran Coupé will hit the market in the autumn, our fans can enjoy its world premiere at the racetrack this summer. There could not be a more appropriate safety car for MotoE than the BMW i4 M50 – pure performance, fully electric. We are looking forward to the premiere in Spielberg.”
The FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup has been part of the MotoGP™ world championship since 2019. The fully electric series, with Energica motorcycles, offers thrilling head-to-head races and exciting battles at some of the most iconic circuits in motorcycle racing.
