The cynical among us might suggest that BMW’s decision to try and brand the new CE 02 as an eParkourer rather than an e-scooter or an e-motorcycle is more marketing hyperbole than anything else, but it goes to show that the world of two wheels as we know it is changing, and lines separating different modes of transform are blurred.
This is BMW’s second electric two-wheeler for the urban mobility market, following in the footsteps of the CE 04 that was launched a couple of years ago. It is also the only learner-legal bike in BMW’s line-up.
The CE 02 is an e-vehicle designed for inner cities with an 11kW (14.7bhp) A1-legal motor (4kW AM-licence version also available). This being an electric vehicle, the torque figure is an impressive 55Nm on both variants. Claimed top speed is 59mph (95km/h), and range after a full charge 56 miles (90km). It weighs 132kg (11kW version) or 119kg (4kW version) and the seat height is 750 mm.
There are two riding modes as standard (Flow for city cruising, and Surf for more dynamic riding). An optional Flash mode makes the power delivery sportier still.
The CE 02 comes as standard with an external charger with a charging power of 0.9 kW, powered by a standard household socket. For faster charging there’s an optional quick charger with 1.5 kW charging power for the 11kW version only.
Chassis is pretty traditional with a steel frame and single-sided rear swingarm, and telescopic forks at the front. You also get ABS on the front wheel, stability control, keyless ride, TFT dash, USB-C socket, and you can connect your phone with the bike to see the predicted charging time.
The CE 02 is expected to be available in April 2024, and pricing for the bike starts from £8450 for the 11kW model, and from £7450 for the 4kW model. For comparison, the Maeving RM-1 costs £5995, and the Sunra Miku Super is £3499. So, the BMW is aiming pretty high with their offering. The future will show how well the learner-legal CE 02 will sell in the UK, but it feels like the pricing will need to come down quite a bit to make this a mainstream city bike.
