BMW has toyed with electricity as a motive force for its bikes before, with the C-Evolution maxi scooter which ended production in 2020. Now BMW Motorrad is renewing its commitment to electric motive power with what promises to be the first in an extensive line of electric bikes. The CE.04 picks up where the C-Evolution left off and takes the company in a new and striking visual design direction.
The Future Of Urban Mobility
It’s not often that a prototype’s visual styling cues make it to production largely unchanged, but that is exactly what has happened with the newly launched BMW CE.04. It might not be exactly pretty but it could never be accused of not being striking.
The previous C-Evolution was an electric version of the C400 petrol-engined maxi scooter whereas the CE.04 is a ground-up design that was electric from the very start. Talking of starts, the CE.04 marks the beginning of an electric future for the German company, with several new models slated to be introduced over the next couple of years, including an electric motorbike (as opposed to a scooter).
Charging Times Still An Issue
The CE.04 is being firmly placed in the Urban Mobility folder, with a range of +/- 80 miles). An ‘Eco’ mode will extend this at the expense of performance. However, charging times are still not all that impressive; BMW claims 4 hours 20 minutes from completely discharged to fully charged and that can be improved to 45 minutes from 20% to 80% charge with the optional quick charger.
The liquid-cooled electric motor produces 41.4bhp and 45.7lb.ft of torque and will have a top speed of around 75mph with an acceleration time to 50mph of 2.6 seconds. The lithium-ion battery is derived from those used in the company’s i-range of cars and sits in a tubular steel frame, with telescopic forks at the front and a single-sided swing arm at the back. Twin 265mm discs gripped by four-piston calipers up front keep things in check.
Reverse Gear As Standard
The fitting of a reverse gear might seem a little extraneous until you realise that the CE.04 weighs 231kg. While that shouldn’t be too much of a problem on the move, given that most of the weight will be worn very low down, it could make hauling the bike around when parking a bit trying.
A New Styling Direction
However, it is not the drivetrain that is the talking point - after all, it is fairly conventional in terms of electric bikes. No, it’s the styling that is garnering all the headlines. We’re used to radical designs in motorcycling and this is one of those. At the front, all is fairly normal, with a large frontal area fairing, although the heavily cowled from wheel looks like it came of a Sinclair C5 (remember those? Talk about being ahead of its time!). At the rear, however, it’s a different matter. Forget smooth contours, it looks like a series of random plastic containers pieced together, with a flat seat perched on top.
It’s not unattractive and it is different, which is no bad thing. From the saddle, the most striking feature is the 10.25 in. TFT screen, the same dimensions as that found on the R1250RT touring model. It looks enormous in this setting, sitting proud of any bodywork as it does, but it fits the overall styling of the bike.
Built-In Practicality
Scooters are generally practical means of transport and the CE.04 is no different, with a storage compartment at the side, below the seat, which can take a full-face helmet and a watertight compartment below the dash which will hold a phone and which has a built in USB-C charging port.
No word on prices yet, but expect it to be significantly cheaper than the C-Evolution.