BMW i4 M50 EV Becomes The Official MotoE Safety Car

When a vehicle or rider is involved in an accident on the racetrack, a safety car comes out in just about every racing series. The purpose of the safety car is to slow racing vehicles down until officials can clear whatever the accident is on track. Traditionally, safety cars are powerful and fast SUVs or sports cars because the field of racers has to be paced at a relatively high rate of speed.

BMW has announced a new official safety car for MotoE with the new BMW i4 M50 Safety Car. The vehicle is the first fully electric safety car from BMW M and will be used for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup cup at the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Austria on August 15. The vehicle is replacing the BMW i8 Safety Car, currently used in the fully-electric motorcycle racing series, which is held as a support program for MotoGP.

The vehicle's official debut will be on August 15 at the race in Austria being held at the Red Bull Ring. The safety car is based on the BMW i4 M50, which launches in November of this year. The vehicle represents the first fully electric performance car from BMW M promising driving pleasure the M brand is known for without emissions.

One of the more interesting features of the BMW i4 M50 is its drive sound, which is intended to bring some of the emotional experience to the electric performance car that is lost compared to the soundtrack produced by a combustion-engine vehicle. BMW i4 M50 features an electric motor on the front and rear axles, generating a total output of 544 horsepower.

It uses BMW M-specific chassis technology for handling performance, and BMW says it is the perfect basis for the safety car in MotoE. BMW hasn't offered any performance details for the car at this time.