A Silent, Violent, and Very German Take on the Future of Scooting
Image Credit: BMW Group.
Since their inception, electric scooters have been the buzzing, occasionally charming, but mostly apologetic runabouts of congested European cities. You know the sort: small, a bit wheezy, and perfect for delivering a single pizza or a very late student to a lecture. But sometimes, a manufacturer looks at the humble scooter and thinks, "You know what this needs? More... everything." In this case, it's BMW, and their idea of "more" is the CE 04, a machine that looks less like a scooter and more like a prop from Andor.
I first saw the CE 04 a few years back and thought, "Well, they've actually built the concept bike. The madmen." It was long, low, and looked about as comfortable as sitting on a modernist sculpture. But now, for 2025, BMW has given its electric oddity a refresh. They haven't fiddled with the core performance – that would be like adding more chili to a volcano – but they've tweaked the window dressing. And I have to admit, it's grabbed my attention all over again.
Image Credit: BMW Group.
There's no two ways about it - the CE 04's design is divisive. It's a collection of sharp angles, flat planes, and a floating seat that seems to defy gravity, or at least common sense. It's nearly as long as a respectable touring motorcycle, which is hilarious for a step-through scooter. But this isn't just for show.
That long wheelbase and the low-slung 8.9 kWh battery give it a center of gravity somewhere around your ankles, making it surprisingly stable. Still, you won't blend in. Pull up to a coffee shop on this, and people will either think you've arrived from the year 2077 or that you've stolen a stormtrooper's personal transport.
Image Credit: BMW Group.
But what happens when you twist the throttle? Oh, that's the best part. This isn't your cousin's 50cc pizza delivery moped. The liquid-cooled motor produces a wonderfully unnecessary 42 horsepower. That might not sound like much in the world of superbikes, but in a scooter, it's enough to cause some serious mischief.
BMW claims it'll zip from 0 to 31 mph in 2.6 seconds. That's quick enough to embarrass just about any car at a set of traffic lights. The silent, instant surge of electric torque is utterly addictive. One moment you're waiting patiently, the next you're just gone. The whole experience is capped at an electronically limited 75 mph, which is more than enough for city streets and perfectly adequate for scaring yourself on a highway entrance ramp.
Image Credit: BMW Group.
Of course, with any electric vehicle, the two big questions are "how far?" and "how long?" BMW claims a range of 81 miles. In my experience, the manufacturer's claims for electric range are written by a committee of hopeless optimists. In the real world, if you're enjoying that lightning-quick acceleration as much as I would be, you can expect that number to drop. Still, for a city commuter, 81 miles (or even a more realistic 65-70) is plenty for a few days of zipping about before you need to plug in.
And about that plugging in. The standard onboard charger is a 2.3 kW unit that will take the battery from empty to full in a leisurely 4 hours. Which is fine if you're just plugging it in overnight. However, for the impatient among us (and I count myself firmly in that camp), BMW now offers an optional 6.9 kW quick charger. Tick that box, and you can get from a nearly-dead 20% to an 80% charge in just 45 minutes.
Image Credit: BMW Group.
For 2025, BMW has decided to offer this electric missile in three distinct flavors. The 'Basic' trim is the minimalist's choice, coming in a clean "Lightwhite" paint job. It's for the rider who wants the Blade Runner aesthetic without being too shouty about it. Then there's the 'Avantgarde,' which adds a splash of color with Gravity Blue paint and some fabulous São Paulo Yellow accents. It even comes with a laser-engraved rim.
At the top of the pile is the 'Exclusive' trim. This is for the rider who wants their futuristic scooter to also be a luxury item. It comes in a swanky "Spacesilver" metallic paint and gets all the best toys as standard: upgraded wind protection, heated grips for those chilly morning commutes, and a fancy embroidered seat to cosset your backside. I guess nothing says "I'm saving the planet" quite like a heated, embroidered throne.
Image Credit: BMW Group.
The tech doesn't stop with the trims. The massive 10.25-inch TFT display is still front and center, looking like a tablet bolted to the handlebars. It's got navigation, smartphone connectivity, the works. You can also add things like tire pressure monitoring, a center stand (which really should be standard, if you ask me), and BMW's clever "Headlight Pro" adaptive lighting that peers around corners for you.
What's the catch? Well, it's the price. This slice of the future starts at around $12,500 in the US, and once you start adding goodies like the fast charger and the posh heated seat, you'll be heading north of that rather quickly. That's a serious amount of money for a scooter, no matter how fast or futuristic it is. You could buy a very nice, very capable gasoline-powered motorcycle for that price.
But that's missing the point. The 2025 CE 04 isn't for the traditional motorcyclist. It's for the urban trendsetter, the tech enthusiast, the person who wants motorcycle-grade performance without the fuss of a clutch and gears. It's a brilliant, ridiculous, and wonderfully engineered machine that makes me smile. And in today's world, you can't really put a price on that, can you?
