The BMW CE02 Motorcycle Uses A 3-Series Alternator As Its Electric Motor

Image: BMW Motorrad

BMW calls the 15-horsepower 48 volt electric motor in the new CE 02 electric scooter an “externally excited air-cooled synchronous motor.” That’s a really fancy way of saying that the Motorrad division of the company raided the automobile side of the company’s parts bin for a current 3-series alternator and repurposed it to power its little bargain urban leccy bike. Considering it starts at $7,599, BMW had to cut some costs somewhere, so why not use something that is pretty much off the shelf?

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Image: BMW Motorrad

RideApart had to find out more, and asked BMW to elucidate the origins of the CE 02’s drivetrain. Here’s what they had to say:

The motor in the CE 02 is a repurposed iteration of BMW’s alternator that resides in the brand’s 48V mild hybrid automobiles, including the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, and X Series SUVs. While they don’t share a part number, manufacturer Valeo the parts and based on BMW’s specs, didn’t have to engineer all that much different.

Given that this kind of BAS (belted alternator/starter) hybrid system has been around for a couple decades now, it makes sense that BMW is using them for its mild hybrid cars. That 15 horsepower and 40 pound-feet boost helps its cars deliver better fuel economy on the highway by taking a bit of stress off the gasoline engine. In a sub-300 pound motorcycle, that same power level is enough to provide a 3-second 0-60 time. I’d call that sufficient.

Image: BMW Motorrad

Here’s a little screenshot from the BMW Motorrad website, showing just what the little electric motor looks like. Given that in both electric drive and alternator configuration, this unit would be fitted with a belt drive, there probably isn’t much difference between the two components at all.

That’s a pretty cool little piece of parts Lego engineering by the BMW folks. Well done.