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Battery scooter BMW CE 04
Photo:
Markus Jahn / BMW Motorcycles
The first impression:
This is not a vehicle for people who want to get from A to B inconspicuously.
The Bavarian e-scooter CE 04 comes across as avant-garde and like a Batmobile.
That's what the manufacturer says:
The "new electric champion for the city," as BMW Motorrad put it, is not the first e-scooter from Munich. The C Evolution was launched in 2014. Although it was battery-operated, it was otherwise not original: it was based on a C-Class combustion scooter with a battery pack implanted in Spandau.
The CE 04 is different. "We wrote off the Evolution completely and developed a purely electric vehicle from scratch," says project manager Florian Römhild. The developers drew on shared experience with colleagues from the automotive industry: The new drive uses 40 lithium-ion cells, which are also in the electric BMW iX. The new battery is almost half the size and, at 100 kilograms, a third lighter than the C Evolution, with the same charging capacity and range. It also lies very deep and is very flat.
This opens up new possibilities for design.
"Of course we wanted to pack in as many clever, functional details as possible, such as the side case," explains Head of Design Edgar Heinrich.
But the main task was to find a future-oriented form that appeals to customers emotionally - "a signal for the future of two-wheelers in metropolitan traffic".
All upcoming "urban models" of the brand will be purely electric, as emission-free as possible and quiet, confirmed BMW Motorrad boss Markus Schramm at the CE 04 presentation in Barcelona.
All Stromers are assembled at the Spandau plant;
Every 18 to 24 months, a new model will roll off the production line there over the next few years.
The first BMW motorcycle with an electric drive is planned for 2025.
What we noticed:
Heinrich and his design team have done their job well: no unnecessary frills, plus minimalist surfaces and 15-inch disc wheels; the floating ironing board seat as an eye-catcher. But how is the scooter doing when driving? Mount up for the test run in Barcelona. The radio key stays in your pocket. Pull the handbrake, press a button and the Stromer whirrs away.
The 10.25-inch TFT color display networked with apps looks futuristic and shows speed, charge level, remaining range and recuperation. The degree of automatic energy recovery depends on the driving modes Eco, Rain, Road and Dynamic (as an accessory). And yes, the CE 04 is coming off. Even in Road mode, but particularly noticeable in Dynamic mode, no combustion engine stands a chance against the electric power when starting at traffic lights. The digital display reaches 50 km/h in just 2.6 seconds; BMW has programmed a top speed of 120 km/h.
It's about sixty kilometers through Barcelona, with various red phases, winding passages through the traffic jam, free driving on the city motorway and fast running in dynamic mode up to the local mountain with the Gran Hotel La Florida. After that, the charge is still over 50 percent - the specified range of 130 km is therefore realistic. Too little? Not after BMW. Seven years of experience with what ended up being 8700 C Evolution scooters has shown that most are ridden in Paris and other centers – with an average of less than 20 kilometers per day.
For this purpose, the CE 04 is also a functional workhorse;
it is in no way inferior to other big scooters like the T Max or the Burgman.
There is enough storage space under the amazingly comfortable seat board – of which there are six variants;
it holds the full-face helmet and the charging cable with the type 2 connector.
Office bag and rainwear fit either in a top case or in a soft bag on the side.
The scooter can be charged at household sockets, but also at a private wall box or public charging stations using an additional cable.
Depending on the equipment, the CE 04 charges with an output of 2.3 kW (standard) or 6.9 kW (at an additional cost).
The charging times from 0 to 100 percent are between 4:20 and 0:45 hours, depending on the configuration.
On the way, the CE 04 sails through the traffic with a slight whirring sound, but still more quietly than any petrol engine, like a noble dinghy cruiser. As with sailing, length counts. And long is the BMW E flagship. Because the battery pack hangs low between the wheels in the tubular steel frame, the wheelbase is an impressive 1675 mm and thus only 56 mm below that of the huge R 18 Boxer (1731 mm). So the CE 04 is comfortable and the calm itself; the scooter drives like a motorcycle with high-end chassis and brakes. The electronics package with ABS, traction control DCT and slip control ASC is on the usual high BMW level.
Where can BMW still improve?
Safe with windbreak.
He pays a high price for the design.
In summer you may enjoy the cooling, but in winter the wind blows past the relatively low front apron and through two air ducts uncomfortably over your thighs.
This and other trifles such as the somewhat coarse pillion footrests will get over those who look at some cleverer solution: The idea of omitting the parking brake on the handlebars, which is mandatory for e-scooters, is brilliant.
Instead, it is combined with the side stand: if it is folded out, the brake is activated.
You have to know that:
The scooter should come to dealers in spring 2022.
In the standard version, BMW delivers the CE 04 at a starting price of 11,990 euros, in light white and pretty much bare with no additional equipment.
The scooter is stylish and functional thanks to the avant-garde design in magellanic gray metallic, as well as the comfort and dynamic packages with heated seats, heated grips and ABS Pro, Headlight Pro, daytime running lights, cornering lights and the Dynamic driving mode. In addition, the fast charger has an impact. The bottom line is that you can easily crack the 15,000 hurdle with the overall package. There is also a throttled 11 kW version - for A1 drivers who are new to driving and drivers with a class B driving license who are undergoing additional training.
We won't forget that:
The information that BMW Motorrad wants to make the CE 04 authorities palatable.
BMW has therefore already presented a police version of the new scooter.
The electric emergency vehicles are already being manufactured in Spandau in a country-specific manner: with their own wiring harness for the demanding power supply, blue and orange lights, special fittings, programmable "Follow Me" lettering LEDs, language and seal stickers and their own case systems.
Rifle mounts can also be mounted on request.
Jochen Vorderer is a freelance author and was supported in his research by BMW Motorrad. Reporting is independent of this.