BMW and Sipaboards have created an electric SUP board in the style of the Neue Klasse

BMW has teamed up with the Slovenian electric SUP board manufacturer Sipaboards, bringing the design language of the Neue Klasse to a completely different form of mobility. Although it is unlikely that even a small fraction of BMW owners are interested in paddleboarding, the company apparently saw in the partnership an opportunity to extend the influence of its design beyond the automobile roads.

The BMW x Sipaboards board is equipped with a compact 300 W electric motor with a specially designed propeller. The maximum speed is up to 4 knots, or about 7.5 km/h.

The motor not only pushes the board forward, which is especially useful against headwinds or currents, but also automatically inflates the board, eliminating the tedious pre-launch preparation.

The board, measuring 3.65 meters in length and 0.82 meters in width, weighs only 14.9 kg including the motor and can carry two people.

According to BMW Group Designworks, elements of the Neue Klasse style were used in the creation of the board. However, this does not mean that the board features signature headlights or kidney grills. The influence of the Neue Klasse is limited to a large X motif based on the board.

Each board comes with a lightweight carbon paddle featuring a built-in Bluetooth remote. This allows users to select power levels, light effects, and haptic feedback. A mobile app with GPS tracking has also been developed.

Initially, the board is sold with two battery modules of 90 Wh each, providing up to 3.5 hours of operation. Next year, a version with two 180 Wh batteries will be released, allowing for journeys of up to seven hours.

The price of the Neue Klasse-style board is €3990. After all, it is still a BMW product, so the price is appropriate, even if instead of highways, there is open water.

Source: BMW