(not so) New BMW CE04 'advanced' electric Scoot RHS (2020)

BMW have built a fully-operational electric 'advanced urban two-wheel scooter' called the CE04. You might call it a cargo scoot, except that it lacks the big box on the back, which should be there anyway for comfort and better aerodynamics. It ain't FF, but it's much more 'FFable' than the C evolution upon which it seems to be based. This is because it's got a much longer wheelbase in order to make space for a large underseat compartment which is actually much lower than those fitted to maxiscooters. As can be seen, this is a screen grab from an 18 minute video. Lots more to follow! PNB
Photo: Screengrab from video. © BMW Motorrad. This is the short 5-minute one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rug1riZYGUg
UPDATE! Turns out the CE04 is not new after all. It is actually a 2020 update of a project that BMW called Link when they released videos about it way back in the Spring of 2017. Damn, they could have spent the last 3 years turning it into a proper FF! This video dates from May 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7QaZx1fb6g

(not so) New BMW CE04 'advanced' electric Scoot RHS (2020)

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Low c of g

It has got a flat battery pack and is designed with the urban commuter in mind, from what I understood. Plus of course lots of marketing speak about intended buyer, crossover between this and that, business lunches, etc, etc.

Amazing Bullshit - but interesting

Well done putting this up.

Impossible to comment on this 'concept vehicle' without mentioning the staggering degree of bullshit surrounding it. A masterclass in saying nothing for thousands of words. However, there are just a few words by BMW claiming the low CoG aids easy steering and so on. Perhaps the various FF-deniers can take that up on facetube or something.

The new battery system, desgined for PTWs rather not just i3 bits like the C-Evo, could be significant. It's reasonable to expect BMW to have done proper power management to go with it. Also interesting stylistic move, largely hiding the front suspension. Maybe BMW are about to copy someone's proper front suspension - again.

It'll never hit the street like this, it would be illegal as a road vehicle, and lethally dangerous. But that's all fixable. In due couse something vagually similar will appear in Park Lanes back showroom and we can, once again, go through the complex dance of discovering if it's any use. I asked tham for photos and tech details recently, not expecting a reply, but someone, somewhere, will put it up eventually. Worth watching for. It could be an easy conversion.

It's good that BMW are thrashing about looking for the new 'E-PTW'. Like a million monkeys on typewriters, randomly writing Shakespear, they will eventually stumble on a E-FF and we can save up and buy one instead of having to make it ourselves.

more pics

There are several pictures on this site;- https://scooterlab.uk/welcome-to-the-future-bmw-motorrad-definition-ce04-news

Some of these show the thing semi-naked, presumably in the course of final assembly. Quite a lot of space under the plastic. Looks like a 'probable' as an FF conversion but it needs to be accompanied by some data. Could be some low-power, speed restricted, toy. Tidy rear end, similar to the C-Evo in layout, and the front and rear look like they bolt on to the central 'plank'.

Obviously possible to fit an HCS to the front, but is this thing fast enough to bother? Judging by the bullshit quotient, probably not. But, the new battery package might be useable if stackable. Everything depends on power rating. If it is just an "Urbam Scooter" one might imagine a C-Evo back-end for the more powerful motor, connected to two or three of these new battery packs and an HCS front end. The rest is cockpit and bodywork.

It's got a 10.5" video display unit or "screen" to distract the rider, rather than keep the rain off... Presumably cheaper than using actual instruments. I think it's possible, as with so many other things (Civilisation, Quality of life etc.) that we may have passed the high water mark of vehicle design...