BMW Starts Production Of Retro Futuristic CE 04 Electric Scooter

The BMW CE 04 was unveiled in concept guise as the BMW Motorrad Concept Link in 2017 and later as the near production-ready BMW Motorrad Definition CE 04, which was unveiled in 2020. The production-ready BMW CE 04 was unveiled earlier this year in July.

The BMW CE 04 is the successor to the BMW C Evolution electric scooter that has been in production since 2014. The CE 04 from BMW Motorrad will go on sale in Europe and other markets in early 2022.

The BMW CE 04 draws power from an 8.9kWh battery pack which is connected to a permanently excited electric motor. The liquid-cooled electric motor produces 20bhp of rated continuous power. Under heavy load, the motor deploys its full power output of 41.5bhp which is sent to the rear wheel via a maintenance-free belt drive system. The BMW CE 04 peak torque output is rated at 62Nm.

The BMW CE 04's motor at full chat allows the electric scooter to accelerate from 0-50km/h in 2.6 seconds and onwards to an electronically limited top speed of 120km/h. The 8.9kWh battery pack delivers a claimed range of 130km as per the World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC) testing program.

The BMW CE 04 offers two different charging options. With the regular wall-mounted household plug, the Ce 04 can charge from 0-80 per cent in three and a half hours at a max charging rate of 2.3kW. If customers opt for the BMW wall box with the quick charger or plug the CE 04 scooter into a public fast charger, the CE 04 will charge from 0-80 per cent in just sixty five minutes with a max charging speed of 6.9kW.

The BMW CE 04 standout feature is its design. The CE 04 looks like something out of the original Blade Runner movie and its design sure seems like something people in the 1970s and 80s would have thought up when asked to design a scooter of the future.

The CE 04 looks more like a snowmobile rather than a scooter. The design is based around the battery pack and electric motor which sit in the underbody of the e-scooter. The CE 04 features a sculpted front end with a curved V-shaped LED headlight unit.

When viewed from the side, the electric BMW CE 04 scooter standout features are the snazzy alloy wheels, the raised floor section, and the narrow bike-like seat.

The area under the seat plays host to a storage locker that can be accessed from the side and offers enough space to store a full-sized helmet.

The BMW CE 04 also features a large 10.25-inch TFT colour screen with integrated maps, navigation and other connectivity features. The electric scooter also offers a USB type C charging port to ensure that the rider's connected device remains juiced up.

Thoughts On The BMW CE 04

The BMW CE 04 is an eclectic scooter that offers a bold retro-futuristic design and combines it with the latest in battery-electric propulsion. With its near $12,000 price tag, the CE 04 is a rather pricey offering but its looks alone are enough to make you want one for yourself.