That's BMW RA On The Level editor Will Guyan, discussing the ConnectedRide concept with BMW engineer Paul Daman at the Munich event.

A gathering of the international motorcycle press was invited to learn about the next level of technology that the engineers in Germany were developing.

ConnectedRide is a research project run by BMW Motorrad and BMW Group Research and Technology and explores developments which could advance safety much further.

DDC is a semi active suspension system which reacts automatically to maneuvers like braking, accelerating, and cornering on various road surfaces and analyzes the situational parameters provided by sensors to set the correct level of damping at electrically actuated proportional damping valves.

The basics of the DDC.

The E-Scooter on display at the Innovation Day in Munich.

On the surface a very simple machine.

The guts and glory of the E-Scooter concept vehicle.

BMW moves forward with more new technology

Photos and text by Vince Winkel, BMW Owners News

This summer BMW hosted its BMW Motorrad Innovation Day at their headquarters in Munich. A gathering of the international motorcycle press was invited to learn about the next level of technology that the engineers in Germany were developing.

Most of what was presented revolves around the realm of rider safety. We'll start with the advanced safety concept ConnectedRide.

ConnectedRide is a research project run by BMW Motorrad and BMW Group Research and Technology and explores developments which could advance safety much further.

One such development is BMW Motorrad eCall with automatic collision notification ACN as a life­saving system.

If a serious accident occurs, the BMW Motorrad eCall / ACN (Emergency Call/Automatic Collision Notification) springs into action. This system is already available as a standard feature in BMW automobiles and a solution specific to motorcycles is currently being worked on. If the rider arrives at an accident site on a bike fitted with BMW Motorrad eCall, he can use the eCall button to trigger a manual emergency call. The accident details and exact location with GPS data are then transmitted to a BMW Call Center which passes on the information as necessary to the nearest rescue team.

If the rider of a BMW motorcycle fitted with eCall is involved in an accident himself, this is registered by means of the sensor system (ACN) and an automatic emergency call is triggered. This automatically establishes a connection with the BMW Call Center, enabling transmission of the required data, such as location and more detailed information on the nature of the accident.

Also being studied is a camera-based BMW Motorrad rider information and assistance system.

As part of this project, work is currently being done on a motorcycle-specific adaptation of a camera-based rider information and assistance system which could be ready for serial production in the near future. This system can actively contribute to preventing dangerous situations from happening in the first place.

The system provides feedback on speed limits (Speed Limit Info) by means of road sign detection and graphic display on the instrument panel. The camera is also capable of detecting objects, thereby enabling automatic detection of obstacles on the road, for example. A warning is given if there is a risk of collision. For the first time in a motorcycle, the system actively detects danger and is capable of triggering secondary measures. These include generating a visual signal which draws the motorcyclist's attention to the object detected, for example, and also preparing the brake system for imminent intervention.  

But wait there's even more...

Also in the pipeline is the cross traffic assistant which analyzes road users approaching a junction, the priority situation and the probability of a collision as well as assessing the response of car drivers required to wait. A display in the cockpit indicates the traffic regulations to the car driver - for example in the case of a potential failure to give way. If the driver does not respond appropriately, he is warned of the risk of collision in stages - in visual, tactile and acoustic form. On the motorcycle, the road light is gradually modulated, light intensity is increased and additional LED strobes at the side of the motorcycle are activated so as to widen the silhouette and thereby increase notice ability in the case of an increasing risk of collision. If a collision is imminent the motorcycle horn is sounded automatically.

The traffic light phase assistant allows the traffic light system to communicate with the motorcycle. If the traffic lights are set to red when the motorcycle arrives at the intersection at an unchanged speed, the rider would receive this information early enough via the instrument panel to be able to brake gently. The assistant is also able to display a speed at which he could reach the traffic lights during the green cycle.

The bad weather warning gives the motorcyclists a visual indication in the instrument panel - optionally also a voice message in the BMW Motorrad Communication System - to provide early warning of a route section with weather conditions such as fog, rain, snow or black ice. The assistant also gives details of approximately when the rider can be expected to encounter these conditions. As the trigger algorithm, researchers have in mind a certain number of vehicles switching on their fog lamps for example.

Next on the Innovation Day agenda was BMW's plans for an advanced Dynamic Damping Control or DDC.

Motorrad has always led the charge in suspension and control systems for motorcycles. This development is actually an evolution on BMW's electronic suspension adjustment system (ESA & ESA II). But this Dynamic Damping Control will do more than allow the rider to adjust suspension compression, rebound, and spring settings on the fly. It incorporates a computer-controlled automatic tuning element to the suspension components that adapts to the road conditions on-the-fly.

DDC is a semi active suspension system which reacts automatically to maneuvers like braking, accelerating, and cornering on various road surfaces and analyzes the situational parameters provided by sensors to set the correct level of damping at electrically actuated proportional damping valves.

DDC is linked to the traction control system DTC and ABS via the CAN bus. The system recognizes the control activities by the other systems and adapts the damping as the situation requires. The adjustments to damping depend on whether the springs are compressing or rebounding, with each process being controlled separately.

The damping is adjusted at an electrically actuated, proportional damping valve that features a variable ring gap and therefore variable flow cross section for the damper oil. The inversely proportional adjustment to flow rate and pressure gives rise to a change in damping force within milliseconds to adapt to new conditions.

Last but not least we were presented with BMWs plans for urban warfare: The E-Scooter concept vehicle. Please forgive the paint job.

While the currently available, purely electrically-powered scooters have been almost exclusively used inside towns and cities to date due to their performance and range, BMW says the concept vehicle E-Scooter offers a much broader spectrum of use.

For starters tests show the BMW E-Scooter has the necessary sustained power and maximum speed for safe and reliable passing on urban streets, highways, and when carrying two people. It's got some power under the seat.

The development study also has the necessary maximum output to be able to achieve acceleration figures within the important 0 - 60 km/h range, which are at the level of current maxi-scooters powered by conventional 600 cc combustion engines.

Also of note is the E-Scooter's battery is charged at regular household power sockets as found in Europe, the US, Canada and Japan, so no special charging station is required. When the battery is completely drained, BMW reports the charging period is less than three hours.

Unlike existing scooters with combustion engines, the concept vehicle does not have a main frame. Instead, the aluminum battery casing - which also contains the electronic system required for battery cell monitoring - takes over the function of the frame. The steering head support is connected to it, as is the rear frame and the left-hand mounted single swing arm with directly hinged, horizontally installed shock absorber.

No word on when this concept vehicle may enter production, but we'll keep you posted on that as well.