A test report on a new vehicle is usually based on comparisons. This forms an opinion that is paired with emotions. Both help the audience to form their own picture. That’s the theory. In the case of the new electric scooter from BMW with the designation CE 04, it requires imagination, because there is no vehicle in the world that is even remotely technically comparable. And, secondly, when it comes to emotions, the design of the scooter is so futuristic that emotions ride a roller coaster: Why is the vehicle so long?
BMW already had a mid-range electric scooter in its range from 2014 to 2020. The C evolution had a maximum output of 42 hp, weighed 275 kilograms empty and was available from 14,900 euros. These three key figures are enough for the two-wheeler connoisseur to get a clear picture of this vehicle: the performance is great, but the vehicle is far too heavy and the price is enormous. That’s why only about 8000 pieces were sold, about half of them scooters in Paris. The French metropolis is one of the scooter capitals of Europe. People use the vehicles to escape from the crowded subway underground. And to meander through the heavy traffic above ground. Scooters are the obvious choice – they are manoeuvrable, offer a certain amount of weather protection and usually also some storage space for luggage.
This is also the case with the CE 04. A helmet and household purchases fit in the trunk of the e-scooter. This makes the scooter pretty handy. Visually, it leaves you speechless at first, its design is so unusual: It has the basic shape of a long, narrow and deep rectangular box on two wheels. The wheelbase measures 2.3 meters. For comparison: That is about half a meter longer than a Vespa is short. Visually, the German vehicle has little in common with the Italian model of all scooters. The CE 04 no longer has a step-through. If you want to climb up, you have to balance a leg over the – admittedly very low – seat. BMW has almost created a new vehicle class: a completely new electric two-wheeler for urban traffic.
The design of the electric scooter takes some getting used to.
(Photo: Markus Jahn/BMW)
The BMW scooter has a tiny windshield – but without any practical use. The fairing on the front for the leg protection is also narrow compared to conventional scooters. If you keep your knees pressed together in the rain, your legs stay dry. The paneling on the frame ends at hip level, leaving the upper body without a rain cover. With a diameter of 15 inches, the wheels are larger than usual on scooters, which is used for stability when driving.
Battery cells from the e-car sector
The electric machine is liquid-cooled and is similar to the electric motors in BMW hybrid cars, such as the 225xe Active Tourer. The engine is offered with a maximum output of 31 hp or 42 hp. The top speed for both versions is 120 kilometers per hour. A motorcycle driver’s license is required for the powerful drive with 42 hp; with the weaker engine, a class A1 driver’s license and an extension of the B196 driver’s license are sufficient, because the rated continuous output is 15 hp. With this extension, motorists are allowed to drive such light motorcycles under certain conditions: The driver’s license holder must be at least 25 years old, have held a category B driving license for five years and have completed training with four theoretical and five practical units in a driving school. Since the legislature introduced this regulation about two years ago, more and more class B owners have used this opportunity to be allowed to drive a scooter.
The battery in the scooter consists of battery cells like those used by BMW in the cars of the latest iX model series. The capacity is 8.9 kilowatt hours, which should be enough for a theoretical range of around 130 kilometers. In the test, the scooter consumed seven kilowatt hours of electricity per 100 kilometers, so the specified distance can be covered. The battery can be charged at a household socket, a wall box or a public charging station. A charger for the usual household 2.3 kilowatts is installed as standard, then charging takes four hours and 20 minutes. The optional quick charger (extra charge: 850 euros) creates up to 6.9 kilowatts of power, the battery is then full again in just over one and a half hours. The price for the CE 04 is 11,990 euros – that is significantly less than the previous C evolution model. And fair, if you consider that you are getting the latest technology, high-quality equipment and a wonderful driving experience.
The brakes are hardly used
Because on the road it shows: The scooter drives perfectly. This is a point where you can clearly feel that BMW knows about electric vehicles. The knowledge about the complicated control of battery and motor as well as their interaction was transferred from the electric four-wheeler to the e-two-wheeler. The scooter can be steered quickly and nimbly, it is very easy to ride, which is probably also due to the fact that it is 44 kilograms lighter than the C evolution. After a short period of familiarization, the brakes are only rarely used because the engine decelerates through recuperation. This requires anticipatory driving – which is well worth it: in the test, around ten percent of the electricity consumed could be recovered.
Incidentally, the power storage is the reason for the unusual length of the vehicle: In order to achieve the desired range, the BMW developers had to install 40 battery cells – and arrange them in a row in the underbody of the scooter. BMW chose the designation 04 because the number 4 stands for a comparable displacement class for combustion engines with 400 cubic centimetres. An 02 is to follow as the next CE model, the price of which should be well below the 10,000 euro mark. But it will probably also have a shorter range.