Test rode the electric BMW CE04

[Finklejag]

Upside

Instant torque
Quiet
Full battery every morning
Heated grips and seat

Downside

40-80 mile range
$15K price tag

I enjoyed the test ride but I needed to sit where the hump in the seat was. I have the same problem with most scooters. I don’t like the riding position. This bike had the comfort seat and you can get the standard bench seat also. I was able to fit my large Shoei RF1200 in the compartment. The range will vary depending on how fast you ride, temperature, if you have the heated grips and seat on. You can get a full charge on level 2 in one hour.

 

[JavierH19]

What an odd but neat bike, I've never heard of this. For 15k if i really wanted an electric motorcycle i'd get a zero, that range is pretty awful for its price.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Put a spare battery in the compartment and double your range.

 

[Cujet]

That's really weird looking, and I'm not sure that it would be a practical choice for anyone. I've ridden the various Zero's and love them, but they don't go far. A friend and I did a range test till "dead" on the fast Florida back roads (55/60mph limits). 50 miles and I needed to pick him up and load the bike in the pickup truck. Which, by the way, is stupidly difficult when it has no power.

Most of us know that full sized motorcycles don't really get great MPG at speed. There is a lot of aerodynamic drag. So it stands to reason that a motorcycle that would get 50mpg, would need the same sized battery as a car that would get 50mpg to get the same range. Which means, a 1200 pound battery to go 350 miles.

 

[Oillover]

So it stands to reason that a motorcycle that would get 50mpg, would need the same sized battery as a car that would get 50mpg to get the same range. Which means, a 1200 pound battery to go 350 miles.

Yeah, no thanks.
If I really needed a scooter, I'd rather get a maxi scooter.

 

[Finklejag]

This thing weighs 500 pounds too. It didn’t feel like it because the weight of the battery and motor is down low.

 

[Jay Freddy]

Thanks for the review.

 

[wemay]

That's pretty neat. Thanks for sharing, i didnt even know this was out there. Decent top speed....

 

[DuckRyder]

Very strange looking / futuristic.

I don't hate it.

Range seems.... not good... my rides are generally longer than that, i do recognize it's a cooter though...

 

[Graham Piccinini]

How does it compare to BMW C400GT that you rode previously?

I haven't rode either unfortunately (yet), but think that Kymco AK550 is a better option than both, especially considering that C400GT is made by Kymco, and that AK550 has a $9k-$10k price tag. And AK550 can do 104MPH on top end...

 

[Finklejag]

I actually liked the CE04 better. The current C400GT is made by Loncin, in China and it’s assembled in Berlin.

 

[Finklejag]

Cut away of the CE04

 

[Cujet]

BMW claims to use the same Prismatic cells in the scooter as in the i4 car. Somewhere I read that BMW calls them "high pressure" prismatic cells. I guess they tightly capture the rectangular pouch-style cells in a rectangular box, so they don't bloat as rapidly...

I am not really a fan of prismatic (rectangular pouch cells in a box) cells. I prefer 2170's and possibly the 4680. A cylinder is always more capable of maintaining shape and internal pressures than is a box.