As BMW Motorrad celebrates 100 years in 2023, the sweet spot for the German manufacturer seems to be its popular R nineT, R 1250 GS, S 1000 RR, and R 1250 RT models. Going the distance has been the company’s unofficial motto, it seems, with thousands of customers enjoying the scenery on long trips off-road and on for decades.

So it’s somewhat curious to see the manufacturer enter into the politically-charged EV market, not with a lithe urban marauder dripping with Bauhaus sensibility, but a hefty science experiment reeking of interdepartmental confusion called the CE 04.

Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. For centuries it was known for its tapestry production, and in modern times the Tour of Flanders bicycle road race ends there after several laps up the mighty Koppenberg climb. The youngest team manager to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans – Torsten Robbens – also lives there, and is our second European podcast guest.