Electrified commuting comes in all shapes and sizes. And while there are brands out there trying to grasp this market with one form factor or another, not many can say they have offerings on two and four wheels. So, enter BMW, who are using their know-how in building bikes and electrified vehicles to offer not only one, but two electric bikes in their lineup. Today, you join me for a ride on the smaller of the two, the CE 02.
As you approach it, you can see the design is one of its highlights and a great conversation starter. The CE 02 is intended to be an eParkourer (their words, not mine), so BMW doubled down on the urbanity of the bike when designing it. It is very funky and sets itself apart without being too gimmicky.
They have gone for a modern, urban look and completely nailed the brief. I got curious looks from other riders, and many approval nods from someone in a rental scooter. The flat “engine cover” and seat, the golden suspension forks and the stretched silhouette make it hard to mistake it for anything else on the road. The colour scheme is very successful, and while it might look big in a few of the pics, don’t let it fool you: this is a small bike, in the good sense.
Lift that seat and you’ll find the two high voltage batteries, and they are quite a talking point. In an effort to keep the bike lighter (and simpler), the charger is not inside the bike itself (as usual in EVs), and instead it is part of the charging cord, which means two big things: you cannot charge the CE 02 using public chargers, and if you plan on charging at your destination so that you can ride your way back, you need to lug a 10kg crypto-mining-rig-looking-thing with you.
What you can do, as a counterpoint, is remove the batteries and take them with you to charge somewhere else – super handy for those that don’t have charging facilities close to where the bike is parked. Alternatively, you can just plug the bike itself and let it do charge balancing between the two batteries, like I did. A full charge takes around 2h30 and will lead to an indicated range of 80kms, totally suitable for the bike’s purpose.
In terms of controls, there are plenty of buttons on either end of the handlebar, as you would expect from a modern bike. On the right, you get a power buttons, the opener to the battery compartment, the riding mode selector, and the always welcome grip heater. Turn to the other end and you will find the indicator and horn, high beam, a Reverse button (incredibly useful to help maneuver the bike around) and a directional pad you can use to navigate the bike’s screen and something else…
This is because you can also pair your phone via the BMW Motorrad App to make it double as a larger instrument cluster. A phone mount makes it even easier to use, and once paired you can use those buttons on to control the phone. You can use that screen as a map, as an additional screen for the trip computer, or just as your phone’s native map or selfie camera. I won’t judge. This is a very useful feature, but even if you don’t pair your phone, all the relevant information is always a menu flick away on the “normal” cluster. And how is it to ride?
Here, the keyless start is a godsend, as the keys never left my jacket, it’s just Press Start and go. Like other electrified vehicles, the dashboard reads “Ready”, and as soon as you twist the throttle, you go – and fast. Torque is more than plentiful from the jump in proper EV fashion, to the point my feet would usually naturally end up on the rear pegs rather than the front ones after taking off. There is a drop-off in performance from 60 onwards, which probably is the subtle way of the CE 02 to tell you that it is getting out of its comfort zone.
It behaves much like a moped when around these speeds, which is exactly what you want. It is easy to ride, comfortable, and doesn’t ever feel like it could do something you’re not expecting. It will easily cross Auckland’s Harbour Bridge, despite the headwinds and the 100km/h posted limit, but with one caveat: battery voltage. It is clear that performance suffers at lower states of charge, to the point I got to experience the dreaded turtle icon once, while still within healthy figures to make it home. To avoid not having all the power you might need and eliminate range anxiety, just top it up before you would a normal EV. It will still get close to the range stated at a full charge, but the decrease in power on tap is just not worth it.
Coming back to the comfort, the CE 02’s suspension is one of the highlights. The long suspension travel and the fat 14″ tyres make it ride smoothly and send very little of the bumps to your wrists and bum – perfect for the CBD streets. It is never too soft, with enough mobility to allow for quick changes in trajectory, regardless of which stance you’re using to ride it, determined by whether you’re using the front, more relaxed pegs or the rear ones that resemble the riding position of a bigger bike.
There are three riding modes: Flow, Surf and Flash. Flow is good for city riding, with power delivery that is easy to module and enough regen to shave speed as you come to a stop. Surf reduces the amount of regen and was my mode of choice when I hit the motorway, with predictable slow downs as you release the throttle. Flash is a sort of power mode, but it is hard to tell apart from Flow without looking, so your mileage may vary – literally.
All in all, the CE 02 proves itself to be versatile enough to handle quite a few use cases, but is pretty clear on where it wins: it is a parkourer indeed. Part of the fun in a scooter like this is watching everything disappear in your rearview mirrors as you take off from traffic lights. Cars, bikes, and even other EVs are left for dead the moment you twist the throttle, and you automatically win every traffic light drag race, regardless of your opponents knowing it was a race or not.
It might not be the cheapest option out there at NZ $16,990, but it is truly peerless and will put a massive smile on your face every time you ride it. And the fact I felt like I was just about to be hired as an extra in Cyberpunk was the cherry on top.
Thanks, BMW Motorrad, for the opportunity, and thank you for reading!
