The BMW CE 02 Is a New Electric Vehicle Between a Scooter and a Motorcycle
Underneath its funky futuristic styling, it’s an electric scooter at heart.
BMW is trying to blur the line between urban electric scooter and electric motorcycle, in an attempt to make scooters a bit cooler. The new BMW CE 02, according to the Bavarians, is neither a scooter nor a motorcycle. Instead, BMW calls it—and I'm not joking—an "eParkourer."
Do you remember when parkour videos were cool on YouTube and every teenager with a camera phone was leaping over everything they could, with varying degrees of success? While the BMW CE 02 won't be helping its riders leap, vault, and run over everything in their way, BMW seems to think this e-scooter can be a do-everything urban mobility solution for many city dwellers.
Credit where credit's due, the CE 02 looks pretty cool. It looks like it was plucked out of car casting for Blade Runner 2049 and nails the urban-futuristic aesthetic. And, in defense of BMW's marketing, it does look more like a motorcycle than a traditional scooter. However, under its dystopian looks, the BMW CE 02 is an electric scooter.
It only has a maximum of 15 horsepower and 41 pound-feet of torque from its single, air-cooled electric motor. Two 1.96 kWh 48-volt batteries supply the motor with juice which, according to World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC), gives it 56 miles of range and a top speed of 59 mph. It's able to achieve that sort of range, despite having tiny batteries, thanks to its relatively low 291 pound curb weight.
Although, it doesn't charge super quickly. With a standard charge speed of 0.9 kW, it takes 330 minutes to go from 0-100 percent state-of-charge (SOC) and 170 minutes to go from 20-80 percent. However, there's an optional Highline package that bumps charging speed to 1.5 kW, hastening its charging times to 290 minutes and 140 minutes, respectively.
There are two driving modes for the BMW CE 02 as-standard—"Flow" and "Surf." The former is a more relaxed driving mode, with a softer throttle and medium regenerative braking. In Surf, however, throttle response is sharper and regen braking is switched off, for maximum coasting. The Highline package unlocks a third mode, called "Flash," which makes its throttle even sharper.
Just hearing the term electric scooter might put most car enthusiasts to sleep but they do make a lot of sense for many city-dwellers who need something small with which to zip through traffic. Plus, they're easy to park, require no refueling, and usually have more than enough range for a daily commute. If you're going to use an electric scooter, I can't think of many cooler looking ones than this new futuristic looking Beemer.
Pricing starts at $7,599 plus destination in the United States.
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