BMW’s latest electric vehicle is a futuristic-looking all-electric scooter with 80 miles of range, called the CE 04. Powered by a 42 hp electric motor that’s located between the 8.9 kWh battery and the rear wheel, the CE 04 can go up to 120 km/h, so it’s good for a bit of highway driving, too. Perfect for short daily commutes, the scooter recharges from 0-100% in four hours and 20 minutes from a standard wall plug. With a level 2 charger, that time shrinks to just 1 hour and 40 minutes, and if you just need to go from 20-80% charge, it’ll do that in 45 minutes.
Like an electric car, it will have regenerative braking that kicks in when the rider is fully off-throttle and automatically decides how much, if any, drag torque should be applied to the front and rear wheels to keep things stable. Since electric motors can simply run backward, it also has a walking-speed reverse to make maneuvering the CE 04 easier.
Along with the regenerative brakes, it also has 265mm (10.4-inch) twin-disc brakes at the front with 4-piston fixed calipers and a single 265mm disc at the back with a floating caliper. Bosch’s latest ABS system has also been selected here for its ability to operate the front and rear brakes independently for added safety. The CE 04 rolls on a 3.5×15-inch (89x381mm) light-alloy wheel at the front with a 4.5×15-inch (114x381mm) wheel at the back. It has a 1,676 mm wheelbase, a steering head angle of 26.5 degrees, a castor of 119 mm, making it easily maneuverable as well as stable, says BMW.
Four driving modes will help riders handle any conditions, including an ECO mode for maximum distance, a Rain mode for extra safety, a Road mode for regular driving, and a Dynamic mode for ultimate performance.
Modes can be selected through the 10.25-inch color screen that can show the instrument cluster, the state of charge, and a navigation map to make rides easier. To stay up to date with the latest navigation information and software, BMW has designed a complementary smartphone app to go with the CE 04 that can also be used to plan routes. Speaking of smartphones, the scooter has a specific smartphone storage compartment that holds your device safely and also charges it at a rate of up to 1.5A.
The CE 04 starts at US$ 11,795 in the States and comes in Light White as standard. It can be optioned with the Magellan Grey Metallic Avantgarde Package that costs an extra US$ 225. A premium package adds adaptive headlights, Ride Modes Pro, ABS Pro, a Level 2 charging cable, seat heating, and a tire pressure monitor. It costs another US$ 1,650.
BMW says that the scooter is expected to make its US market debut in Q1 2022.
