BMWs new concept motorcycle looks like it belongs in Blade Runner

That starts with how the Concept Link is an all-electric vehicle. BMW positions the bike as a representation of its “vision of zero-emission urban mobility on two wheels,” which ticks all the right boxes in an era full of emissions scandals. But it’s not all just talk — you can see from the bike’s low, long profile that it’s clearly been designed with a floor full of batteries in mind.

There are a few impractically fun futuristic touches, too. BMW imagines the rider wearing a connected jacket (which sounds somewhat similar to the one that Google is making) that can open the luggage compartment with a wave of the hand. And the design is aggressively post-modern. The neon orange windscreen, seat stitching, and cabling all make it look like it’d be right at home in a sci-fi movie like Blade Runner. (The cavernous cement locations in the concept renderings certainly help that notion.)

BMW is also touting a few features that sound like they could eventually make it into future vehicles, despite the fact that this bike will never hit the road (at least not as-is). The Concept Link ditches the traditional instrument cluster in favor of projecting things like speed and battery information onto the windshield. A touchscreen sits between and below the handlebars for controlling everything else.

The company also says the Concept Link “knows what’s in the rider’s calendar” and is able to plan routes accordingly. It can also select “suitable music” for the trip, which sounds clever even if I’m not sure how useful it would be in the real world. After all, what music will it play when I’m driving to Taco Bell, the only restaurant to survive the coming franchise wars? And won’t I be just fine with Vangelis?

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