BMW CE04 in Surrey (2022)
Just released in the UK, BMW's CE04 electric maxiscoot parked across the byway at Newlands Corner outside Guildford in Surrey. I enjoyed riding it the mile or so down the byway too! The CE04 has now superseded its predecessor, the C-evolution, which first went on sale back in 2014. On the plus side, the CE04 is eminently more 'FF-able' than the Cevo thanks to its longer wheelbase, lower seat and above all the lack of 'gubbins' right where an FFer wants to put his or her derrière. It's also lighter and cheaper. The space below the rider's seat is actually a compartment big enough to store a full face helmet, so it should be possible to lower the seat by at least 12 inches – provided the seat rails can be suitably substituted.
On the downside, most of that weight and price reduction is due to the fact that it has a significantly smaller battery than the CevoPlus (8.5kWh vs 12.6kWh) and consequently a significantly smaller range. It is great fun to ride though.
BMW options include a choice of 4 different seats and a top box with a backrest for the passenger.
PNB
Photo: © Paul Blezard
Still amazed
I was amazed when BMW first showed this. Who would have thought that a world-class vehicle manufacturer could release such an unfinished product? One suspects that BMW's bike dept. has been taken over by second-year design students. Almost funny really.
Still. esay to convert to FF as you say, although difficult to see the point with such restricted performance. Even more astonishing that it's obvious application as a cargo scooter hasn't been recognised.
Probably way too expensive, and after all, BMW don't really make useful vehicles.
CE04 power, torque, speed & weight
It's worth mentioning that the CE04 has more power than the Reliant 850 unit used in the Voyager and the Quasar, pushing a lot less weight, with max torque from zero revs (as with all electric motors). To be specific, 31kW (41hp) and 62Nm pushing 231kg and it feels lighter than that. It is governed to a maximum speed of 75mph, which is 5mph slower than its predecessor the CevoPlus, but it accelerates from 0-50mph faster because the CevoPlus weighs 275kg (much of which is due to its bigger battery – 12kWh for the Cevo vs 8.5kWh for the CE04).