You Don’t Need A Helmet To Ride This New BMW Concept EV Scooter

The new Vision CE concept from BMW Motorrad - the Bavarian marque's two-wheeled arm - is as bizarre as two-wheelers get, electrified or not.

With the IAA Mobility Show 2025 set to take place next week in its home ground of Munich, Germany, German marque BMW aren’t ones to disappoint. In fact, its two-wheeled arm also aren’t ones to let the side down, hence this early look at its latest concept.

Effectively, the new BMW Motorrad Vision CE concept pictured promises riders to rid the need to don any protective gear, not even a helmet. While this sounds very wrong, there are several reasons allowing this.

For one, this all-electric two-wheeler was designed for its riders to ditch any protective gear. In other words, a helmet is NOT required to ride this.

Before we dive into that, let’s dissect this concept electric two-wheeler’s lower half first. Arguably, this is where the Vision CE concept is very much a ‘traditional’ motorcycle, and not just in terms of wheel count either.

Much of this electric scooter’s looks in this half mirrors the styling seen in the CE 04 model that BMW Motorrad already markets globally – and locally at a rather princely figure of RM59,500. 

What lets the Vision CE concept ditch the helmet ruling here are the combination of its unique roll cage assembly, the presence of a car-like seat plus seatbelt, a small windscreen, and the EV's self-balancing ability.

What’s interesting besides the exposed offset rear shock, wind-deflecting fairings, tubular black crash bars, unique seat saddle design that boasts a backrest and wide footboards is the presence of massive digital instrument display panel.

Of course, once you start soaking up this concept’s top half, things take a bizarre yet surprisingly functional turn. Key to this is the tubular roll cage assembly that also sees a a windscreen (or ‘flyscreen’) integrated into it.

Unique here too are the massive wind deflector fairings. Note the wide footboards and the rather unique seat saddle mirroring the one primed in the CE 04 model.

Said roll cage even rocks a pair of auxiliary spotlights up top, a la a 4x4 off-roader, thus giving this concept electric scooter a rather rugged, all-terrain look and feel. Of course, this is only half – literally – the story here.

Back to the aforementioned single-seat setup and what allows BMW to ditch the helmet requirement here is the presence of a harness-like restraints – in other words, seatbelts – in said hot seat that are partly anchored into the roll cage mentioned.

Adding to which comes a trick self-balancing function which, according to BMW Motorrad, “allows the vehicle to completely balance itself when stationary.” However, don’t for a second think it doesn’t need a side-stand for parking – it still comes with one.

With the Vision CE concept, BMW Motorrad is promising an "increased sense of freedom" plus a "casual, carefree riding experience."

The firm also says the Vision CE concept was designed to give users an “increased sense of freedom” as well as a “casual, carefree riding experience.” We’ll let you fathom both ethos for yourself.

That aside, BMW Motorrad didn’t dish out any technical details or figures – predictable, given that this is a merely a concept for now. Unclear presently too is this concept two-wheeler’s production prospects, though we won’t discount which just yet.

The BMW CE 04 seen during the Malaysia Autoshow 2024 (MAS 2024). This premium EV maxi-scooter - as BMW Motorrad Malaysia terms it - is tagged at RM59,500.

For reference, the BMW CE 04 electric maxi scooter mentioned that’s currently on sale packs an 8.9 kWh battery pack that juices a single e-motor powering the rear wheels via belt drive with 41 HP (31 kW) and 62 NM – similar to most 500cc-600cc machines.

Though respectably quick despite its claimed 231 KG heft, as detailed in the feature video above, the BMW CE 04 can only cover a maximum range of just 130 KM. Charging the battery mentioned takes 1 hour and 20 minutes via AC Type 2 input at a rate of 6.9 kW.

More details of the new BMW Motorrad Vision CE concept pictured, and perhaps possible production plans for it too…