E-Performance: At the beginning of February, after a long wait, the time has come - the BMW X2City electric scooter, which was announced some time ago, is finally coming onto the market. When the vehicle is in the shops of BMW's cooperation partner Kettler on February 4th, it will be the first small electric vehicle in Germany, for which separate legislation will come into force in the next few days.
After the BMW e-scooter was first announced in late 2017, things had initially gone quiet about the innovative city companion. The reason: BMW entered a legal gray area with its electric vehicle, which has now come to an end with the Small Electric Vehicle Ordinance (a wonderful word!) and puts e-scooters like the X2City on a legally secure footing. Legally, such vehicles will in future move somewhere between a moped and a bicycle - anyone with an AM driving license (moped) may drive an electric scooter on the road. The permit is of course included with the regular driver's license. In addition to the driver's license, a corresponding insurance policy is required, which is certified by a sticker on the vehicle and is usually priced at less than 100 euros per year. In the case of the BMW X2City, BMW will cover the insurance costs for the first year for the first 2.000 units sold.
However, little has changed in the way the BMW e-scooter works: There is a small pedal on the large running board that activates the motor when you press it several times with your foot. The scooter is further accelerated by constantly rocking on the pedal – the limit is a maximum of 20 km/h. If you are not in a hurry, you can also set lower maximum speeds on the handlebar remote control. Nothing has changed in this logic since it was first announced in 2017 - what is new, however, is the function that keeps the driven speed constant if you keep your foot on the pedal. We tested a pre-series model of the BMW X2City some time ago and after a few meters the operation becomes second nature. Even more so now that the new way of operating eliminates one of our few criticisms.
https://www.velomotion.de/2018/02/test-bmw-tretroller-x2city/
Technically there is a lot of bicycle or e-bike in the new BMW X2City: the hub motor comes from Marquardt, on the handlebars you will find grips from Ergon as well as a hydraulic brake system from Magura and the lighting is provided by the noble manufacturer Supernova. With the 408Wh battery hidden under the running board, you can reach a range of between 20 and 30km. Incidentally, the battery can be fully recharged in less than three hours when plugged into a normal household socket. It can either remain in the scooter or be removed without any problems.
If you are now interested in the BMW X2City, you can mark February 4th in your calendar. Then Germany's first micro electric vehicle will be available for purchase from Kettler dealers - at a price of 2.399 euros.