Instead of banning cars from city centers, this automaker recommends elevated roads for electric bikes & scooters to ease congestion and emissions.

In true car company fashion, BMW has come up with a solution for cleaner commuting in crowded cities, and it involves moving two-wheeled electric traffic to a separate elevated cycleway, which would then serve as a direct link "between key traffic hubs." The general idea of the BMW Vision E3 Way concept, which was developed in collaboration with Tongji University and the company's Shanghai technology office, isn't a novel one, as elevated cycleways have been proposed before (and built). However, this version would be roofed over and include solar panels, climate control, and rainwater collection features.

According to BMW, the E3 Way is dubbed so after the three defining properties of the concept -- elevated, electric, efficient -- and is specifically designed to address the transportation challenges in the "urban conurbations" of the megacities of tomorrow. And even though this cycleway would feature a much more conventional mode of transport, some are comparing it to another ambitious concept, with Markus Seidel, head of the BMW Technology Office China, saying, "It's our Hyperloop."

© BMW Group