BMW CE04, the most advanced electric scooter in the world...

The pandemic robbed us of the opportunity to test it during its presentation to the press, but we have already made up for it, putting it to the test both in the city and on the road.

The German brand does not give up its efforts to create the perfect electric scooter. Its CEvolution opened and marked the way and now, with this CE 04, without a doubt the best electro-propelled scooter in the world, it is one more step in that direction, two wheels that seem to be taken from the Tron saga. "The bad thing about perfection is that it is unattainable, it is impossible, but it is also right in front of us constantly," said Jvin Flynn (Jeff Bidges) in the second installment (Tron: Legacy). Like a ring on the finger.

In the city the CE 04 there is no doubt that it is the king of electromobility both for its futuristic design and its performance, but in the rest of the urban motorcycle court, it could also be a candidate for the throne, regardless of the type of propulsion, if it weren't for some other detail (which we'll talk about later)... But at least one count, that's for sure.

Monarchical jokes and nods aside, the CE 04 faces day to day in urban traffic with more joy than it seems thanks to two things: the good angle of advance of the front end -and the good turning radius of the handlebar-; and the solvency given by its 31 KW of power from its electric motor (up to 42 equivalent CV) seasoned with instantaneous 62 Nm of torque, just one less than a Honda CB 650 R Neo Sports Café from this year.

Although comfortable for the city, the driving position is conditioned by the design. To him and to the success on the other hand of BMW to remain faithful almost 100% to the 'concept' that he presented in his day. The CE 04 has a flat floor that really is (unlike other big scooters that claim to have it and don't) and with enough space to play with the position of the feet and even move them forward, which, together with the curious seat flown, long and straight, it allows many possibilities to the pilot. Riders who are around 1.70m or shorter may find the seat too wide in the front and find it somewhat uncomfortable to spend a lot of time with their feet on the ground, holding the scooter.

The acceleration, brutal. The jump from 0 to 50 km/h is 2.6 seconds (verified) and in the case of reaching 100 km/h, BMW declares about 9.1 seconds which I understand is an average between the three driving modes (which we remind you that they are Eco, Rain, Road and Dynamic). During the test that we carried out in this sense, already on the road, in the smoothest mode, the figure was around 10 seconds, but in the Dynamic, the figure was 8.5 seconds.

Carrying out the route by secondary road (logically we did not go very far so as not to abuse autonomy unnecessarily and opting for those that join the Madrid towns of Daganzo, Ajalvir, Cobeña, Algete and Paracuellos del Jarama) was like letting a greyhound loose in the field for the first time... All running and running. The sensation of silence even when the speed is limited to those 120 Km/h is overwhelming, I always say it, the electric hooks in that sense. And as evening and even night falls, every twist and brake seems like something out of a scene from Tron Legacy.

In both cases, for city and highway, I liked the braking not because of a brutal or dry forcefulness, but because of the worked efficiency of its whole. In other words, the Nissin calipers bite well and the success of the rest of the J.Juan components is undeniable, but it is the bike as a whole that brakes well... The combination of a more than generous wheelbase (1,675 mm compared to, for example, the 1,580 mm of a Yamaha TMax) and the tires that it mounts as standard - some Pirelli Rosso Scooter -, together with a careful geometry that is reflected in its wheelbase and its launch angle, make the scooter brake as well as accelerate. And that is saying.

On the side of the buts, in addition to the taste that each one has for connectivity or color (this all-white unit is not the most successful from my point of view compared to the attractive gray and orange) I would only highlight a few details. On the one hand, the little protection against the wind offered by the miniscreen, very cool but not very effective and that is somewhat out of tune, curiously, with the rest of the fairing that, although it does not seem like it, protects the pilot's legs well.

Another but is the load capacity, perhaps the only thing in which it is not on equal terms with other urban maxi-scooters. Although a full-face helmet fits under the seat without any problem, only that, a full-face helmet, does not fit the cable for recharging if it is inside. It is true that in the city there are many recharging points and all of them with their cable, but it does not seem very logical that you cannot take your own if, given the circumstances, we only have access to a conventional plug. If we want to carry the cable, it will have to be a 'jet' type case that we keep. And no, I can't imagine a CE 04 with a trunk... Even if it's a designer one.

Lastly, dynamically, I only found one snag... And I don't know if it is. I explain. In addition to the fact that it may cost a bit to get hold of the turns due to the aforementioned long wheelbase and considerable weight (231 Kg, 40 kilos less than the CEvolution, yes), in long curves on the road, where the speed invites you to knock down more, the poise of the whole was not the same as during the rest of the kilometers traveled where the CE 04 seemed to be riding on a rail. The suspension and the low center of gravity invite you to search, hurry and enjoy the line to the fullest, but it would need a point or two more stiffness, something would penalize its comfort on a different side of the scale on a day-to-day basis in the city and on highways. ring road Hence my doubt as to whether it is really a but or the logical consequence of letting myself be carried away by the desire to go one step further when the natural space of CE 04 is not that.

In conclusion, this bet by BMW for the CE 04 is a wonderful toast to innovation, originality and design, accompanied by intense sensations in the grip... A future that is no longer, is present.