Nice looks and light and agile AND electric. But is it BMW Motorrad-worthy for the street?
Soon it can also be admired on the streets in the Netherlands. But already this week in Portugal. Jonas Roossens from Maxxmoto took a closer look at it for a first impression and came back with about 5 notes after his first km through the Portuguese capital.
The CE 02 is BMW's third attempt to make the Motorrad branch slightly more electric, after the C Evolution and the now also available BMW CE 04.
The CE 02 taps into the Super73 / fat bike trend that not everyone can appreciate and this electric motorcycle comes in a 125cc/A1 version and in a 45km (moped) version. The A1 version was ready in Portugal. Now on to the first impression.
Eccentric look makes you greedy
One look at the CE 02 is enough to want it (or not!). Then look at those cute full wheels and its trendy color scheme. It connects easily with your smartphone and is ideal for outrunning heavy traffic in a legal way. Moreover, it is a lot safer than those small (illegal) scooters and with the 11kW versions you are not stuck with crowded cycle paths.
Admittedly, it may be less interesting in the rain, but doesn't enjoying terraces on a CE 02 sound great? And without the hum of an old-fashioned Dax or Vespa, who can object to that?
This BMW is a BMX without the stunts
The BMW CE 02 is a special case. Because of its looks, colors and size you want to compare it with a Honda Monkey or Honda MSX, even though they run on petrol. And with electric vehicles you cannot immediately place it under the scooters. BMW itself speaks of an 'Urban Cruiser with BMX feeling', although you have to take the latter with a grain of salt.
The dimensions and seating position are reminiscent of an old-school BMX, but the stunts? That's going to be difficult with all that battery weight and traction control. The looks of a rascal, with the character of a good mouse. But do check in a shop window to see what you look like on a CE 02. You don't want to look like a circus monkey on a bicycle, because it is really smaller than a 'normal motorcycle'.
Electric, but fast charging is not available
With a range of up to 95 km and top speed of 45 km/h (in 4 kW version) and 90 km/h (in 11 kW version), you know that these two-wheelers prefer to stay in the city. Highway journeys are not an option and so the driving range is sufficient for most. BMW therefore consciously chose to only charge at the socket, where you can enjoy a few hours of use. Read: you hang this two-wheeler on the drawer in your garage at night, because you don't want to drag the battery around and fast charging is not an option.
Practical enough?
Comparing the CE 02 with an electric scooter is a battle between heart and head. On the one hand you want the looks and X-factor of the small BMW, on the other hand you want the ease of use of a scooter. Wind protection on the CE 02? Virtually non-existent. Storage space? Nada. Place for the passenger. Extremely limited. And if you know that such a scooter often costs half or less, then you really choose a CE 02 with your heart and not with your head.
Isn't this too niche?
The BMW marketers say that the CE 02 is an urban cruiser for the youth. They forget that they have to pay around 7,000 for the moped and 8,000 for the A1 motorcycle. But it's a BMW motorcycle and we haven't seen one cheap often. We also see Opel Rocks Electric parked in front of secondary schools in Amsterdam and in Het Gooi.
So for some, this price is apparently not an issue. However, the question is whether you can get young people out of their warm/dry 45 km car. In the Netherlands you must have a motorcycle license before you can get on the A1 version. Here BMW probably needs people who still have room for something 'additional'. The starting price of €7,250 for the moped and €8,250 for the motorcycle is so over the top that you would expect it from Apple. Future collector's item? Time will tell, although there is also a good chance that it will remain a very rare thing.
photos: Maxxmoto and BMW Motorrad
This article BMW CE 02, toy or real motorcycle? first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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