Back in 2011, BMW released a concept for an electric scooter that was aimed at the future of digital mobility, the CE 04 Concept. As far as scooters go, it was actually quite good looking, with a modern, minimalist design, and an elongated chassis. While it didn’t seem too radical, there was some wonder as to how much of the design would remain the same, if it made its way to production. Thankfully, it seems that most of it will transfer to the production car, as some new patent drawings have just leaked and the BMW CE 04 looks very similar to its concept.
The elongated chassis, minimalist design, and, most importantly, the massive 12.25-inch instrument display remain. That last bit is important, as it’s a big part of the BMW CE 04 allure. The whole point of the scooter is to be digital and connected, so the fact that it has the largest digital screen ever fitted to a scooter, and features BMW’s most advanced tech, is important. It also helps the CE 04 appeal to younger, more tech-oriented urban types that want something small and practical but also digital and connected.
From the look of the concept photos, it seems the BMW CE 04 will have an infotainment system similar to the iDrive system found in its cars. Obviously, it can’t have the functionality of a car’s iDrive system, being that it’s a scooter, with handle bars, and no ability to turn a rotary dial or touch the screen. However, it will have a very large, crisp nav screen along with some other menus.
The scooter overall looks quite good in these photos. I’m personally not a scooter, or even much of a motorcycle guy, myself. However, the BMW CE 04 not only looks good, in a minimalist, high-tech sort of way, but it looks like it will be fun.
[Source: Cycle World]
