Whether it’s high performance single-seaters or rugged off-roaders like Audi’s latest Dakar contender, electric race cars are cool. And now, after shuttering its Formula E program, BMW is getting back on the EV racer action with something called the Dune Taxi.
The German automaker teased the new creation in a YouTube video, which was first covered by Top Gear. In the video, the Dune Taxi shows off its impressive capabilities and striking similarities to the Odyssey 21 that you’ll find racing in Extreme E.
According to the video, the Dune Taxi has a body made from natural fibre reinforced polymer, or NFRP. This material is similar to traditional carbon fibre, but instead of a carbon weave uses plant-based fibres.
The bodywork makes the Dune Taxi look like a fully-fledged rally raid racer. Unfortunately, there’s still space in those body panels for BMW to fit this off-roader with the latest incarnation of its oversized grille. Sigh.
Underneath all that veggie-friendly bodywork is a mighty impressive sounding off-roader. According to the video, the car is fitted with an all-electric powertrain that kicks out 400kW and 1,000Nm, which equates to more than 536 hp and 334 kg-ft of torque.
There’s also a pretty serious suspension setup, which BMW says offers up nearly 16 inches of travel and keeps the Dune Taxi running true as it tackles the dunes, jumps and, apparently, roundabouts of Saudi Arabia.
To all intents and purposes, this looks like a machine with one job: dominating the Dakar. But so far, BMW hasn’t said anything about where it might race the new machine.
Instead, all the automaker has done is made a cool video showing the Dune Taxi thrashing ‘round the desert in the Middle East followed by a few stock iX and BMW X6 M models. It’s a pretty fun watch, check it out below.
But where would you like to see BMW prove the mettle of this particular creation? Let us know in the comments.