Not everyone – yet – wants to ride an electric scooter, but this option could be imposed more quickly than we imagine. Introduced very late on the automobile, environmental standards are beginning to catch up with two-wheelers. In the Paris region, motorcycles and scooters from before July 2004 (Crit’air 4 sticker) are in principle banned and those dating from before 2007 (Crit’air 3) will be undesirable from 2023. To this must be added the introduction, from September, paid parking for thermal engine two-wheelers in the capital. In the other urban areas, the entry into force of low emission zones, or ZFE, will also contribute to tightening the constraints in the medium term.
This vice, which is tightening and encouraging conversion to electric, has so far hardly inspired the major Japanese and European manufacturers who, for the most part, only offer small models with low autonomy equivalent to the 50 cm3 thermals, a segment dominated by Chinese brands. Peugeot assembles the e-Ludix in France (2,599 euros, 50 km range), whose chassis is produced in India, and Yamaha will launch the Neo’s this summer (3,199 euros, 37 km range). New protagonists like the Austrian brand Horwin, which imports the EK3 from China (a 125 cm3 charged 3,690 euros), begin to occupy the land. On the other hand, at Honda, the world number one, nothing is planned for the moment.
In this panorama, BMW appears as a notable exception. As early as 2014, the German firm marketed the C-Evolution, a very successful machine, available in 125 and 400 cm equivalent3, but overpriced (from 15,000 euros). As the electrification of the urban two-wheeler becomes a palpable reality, BMW returns with a new proposal. The CE 04 is intended for urban and suburban travel. For this second generation, the Bavarian brand has not chosen continuity.
Waiting for an accessible offer
The CE 04 is a scooter, but it hardly looks like one. Very long (2.28 m) in order to be able to house its batteries longitudinally, which does not always make things easier when you want to park perpendicular to the pavement, this machine with a vertical seat and coated with such a minimalist fairing that angular is unlike any other. Rather low, it is suitable for all sizes and has multiple storage spaces, even if the volume occupied by the charging cables prevents more than one helmet from being accommodated in the central mini-box.
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