2023 BMW CE-04 review

Electric cars may not be everyone’s fave but there’s no denying the sports models get off the line in blazing fashion.

Tesla’s three-motor Model S Plaid is meant to hit 100km/h in 2sec while recently a group of Swiss students broke the world record for the 0 to 100km/h time by breaking the 1.0sec mark. It took 12m! Blazing stuff.

We’ve just been riding an electric scooter, BMW’s CE-04, that gives that same sensation of otherworldly acceleration, taking “under 2.6sec” apparently to hit 50km per hour.

So we decided to check that claim because honestly it felt more like 1.5seconds such is its ability to drag off anything at the lights, even in the Eco setting where power is deliberately trimmed back.

In Dynamic it feels like a power cruiser off the line, like a Diavel, only to 50 this would probably be quicker.

As it turned out, the 0-50 was half way between what BMW suggested and what the seat of the pants indicated, as near as dammit hitting 2.0sec flat. That’s honking for a scooter.

And it has the out-there looks to match its amazing turn of speed. This long-shanks e-scooter has unique wind-cheating plastic-fantastic fairing additions, along with MotoGP-like aero aids and a funky orange fly screen up front.

It is also long of wheelbase for stability and comfort reasons while it features belt drive for reduced maintenance. The flat seat is deeply foamed and long enough to take two comfortably.

The CE-04 absolutely wowed onlookers. Of course some didn’t notice it whatsoever because to them anything on two wheels doesn’t count. Fortunately, that didn’t apply to drivers I encountered.

But for those with even a casual interest in things electric, it is hard to ignore because it generates an audible whine that tends to make those in close proximity turn and look, to determine the origin of the noise.

And to an (older) person who showed any interest, it was the movie Tron from which they thought it had escaped. But it’s how this goes that defines it more than how it looks.

There’s a proximity key for security – when turned off its rear wheel is locked so it simply won’t move – and operation involves pushing the on button that fires up the TFT screen and then pushing the red starter button so it is ready to roll.

In a tight spot? Simply hold the R button on the left switch block and gently roll on the gas. It backs out under e-power. Then hit the gas and you’re away laughing.

There are three ride modes, Eco to get you home, Rain, Road for everyday riding and Dynamic for optimum performance. Its liquid-cooled electric motor is from the i-car range, as is the battery pack (from BMW PHEVs).

The former develops 31kW and 62Nm while overall weight is 231kg, thanks in part to its 8.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack. There’s sufficient grunt for a limited top speed of 120km/h.

Range maxes out at a claimed 130km, easily enough for two or three days of town commuting, and a 20 to 80 per cent recharge only takes 45min using a wall charger. Energy use is a claimed 7.7kWh/100km.

A full recharge takes about 4.5 hours on an emergency or level-one three-pin unit. Naturally motorway work will eat into range rather more but it will cruise at 100km/h effortlessly.

Brakes aren’t needed much either because of variable levels of energy recuperation. It’s quite strong in eco and dynamic modes. Should brakes be needed, like all scooters, they’re activated by handlebar levers, which are not adjustable.

However having twin discs up front is distinctly unusual, the preserve of high-end maxiscooters.

The look and noise are distinctive as mentioned so expect people to engage with you, frequently. You can then show them its party tricks, like reverse gear, or its underseat cubby hole which can swallow a full-face helmet.

There’s also a Qi phone charger and USB outlet for devices. We found the turning circle almost too tight – the bars on full lock sometimes threatening to overbalance the machine but you soon get used to this.

There are plenty of entry-level electric scooters but few quality items and none is as fast as this.

Electric motorbikes are thin on the ground here too so even though it seems expensive at $28,490 plus ORCs, it has little in the way of comparable opposition, not that there aren’t large maxiscooters available for less of an outlay. But none is zero emissions.

Not many will have an adaptive LED headlight that turns into bends, stability and traction control, ABS pro with banking capability or a TFT colour screen with integrated map nav and full connectivity.

This then is a novelty luxury item and it will appeal primarily to electric adopters wanting something that looks futuristic and is up to speed in a planet-saving sense.

And you could look at it another way; it is the least expensive battery EV currently made by BMW, until the BMW CE-02 arrives at any rate.

All future new BMW Motorrad models for urban mobility will be pure electric.

This article first appeared in the December/January issue of NZ Autocar Magazine.