BMW has revealed the CE 02 electric two-wheeler overseas and classifies it as something that sits between an electric scooter and an electric bike. The CE 02 is powered by two split 2kWh lithium-ion battery packs and has a claimed range of 90km.
If you so wish, one of the battery packs can be removed and then the CE 02 is ready to be ridden as a moped and doesn’t require a license in many countries of Europe. This restricted version of the CE 02 weighs 119kg, has a claimed range of 45km and a top speed of 45kph (which still doesn’t classify it as a low-speed vehicle in India).
The full-fat version of the CE 02 makes 15hp and has a claimed range of 90km. It weighs in at 132kg (13kg more than the single-battery version) and has a claimed top speed of 95kph. Both these versions can be topped up with either a 0.9kW standard charger or an optional 1.5kW fast-charger.
That means the 15hp version takes 5hr 12min from dead to 100 percent using the standard charger, which drops to 3hr 30min using the fast charger. The low-speed version takes 3hr 2min for a full charge, using the standard charger.
Underpinnings are fairly simple with a double-loop steel tubular frame cradling the twin battery packs, suspended by a USD fork/monoshock setup. The CE 02 uses a 296mm front disc, clamped down upon by a single-piston caliper and it only gets single-channel ABS. While the equipment is fairly basic, the CE 02 does get a single-sided swingarm and sends power to the rear wheel via a belt drive.
The CE 02 has a decent feature list comprising keyless go, an LED headlight, a reverse gear and a 3.5-inch TFT dash with Bluetooth connectivity. Also standard are two riding modes – Surf and Flow.
Optioning the CE 02 with the optional Highline accessory pack brings in a third even quicker Flash riding mode along with niceties such as a special colour scheme, heated grips and a phone mount.
The base CE 02 costs USD 7,599 (roughly Rs 6.2 lakh), while the Highline trim will set you back by USD 8,474 (roughly Rs 7 lakh). At this price, the CE 02 is in the same ballpark as the Kawasaki Z650RS (Rs 6.92 lakh).
Would you pick the CE 02 as an urban runabout over a petrol-powered bike? Let us know in the comments section below.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
