Victor traded his Kawasaki Ninja 300 for a used BMW C Evolution a few years ago. He has been riding his electric maxi-scooter daily in Paris and continues to ride it in Loire-Atlantique, either alone or with a companion. He has already driven more than 40,000 km and plans to drive the same amount again. A motorcycle enthusiast since he was 15 years old, Victor started with a 50 cm³ motorcycle before moving to a motorcycle at 20 years old. He appreciated the sporty side of the Kawasaki Ninja 300 for a long time but had been looking at electric motorcycles for some time. "I became interested in this technology as early as 2016, for reasons of energy efficiency, sovereignty and ecology," he explains. He even convinced his father to buy a Renault Zoé in 2017, which he often borrows and enjoys driving. Tired of paying exorbitant parking fees for his thermal motorcycle in Paris and also tired of the noise of the engine, he quickly turned to BMW. "The C Evolution was the only electric scooter that seemed valid to me, capable of competing with a motorcycle in terms of performance and sensations," he points out. A well-considered used purchase. Victor first tried the French scooter Eccity, but was not convinced: "Too small, not safe enough." He then turned to the BMW C Evolution, which he liked for its robustness and performance. However, with a new price of 15,000 euros, the investment was a bit too high, so he turned to the used market and found one at FCGE in Boulogne-Billancourt, a dealer specialized in C Evolution. "It had 30,000 km on the odometer and still cost nearly 10,000 euros," he recalls with a touch of bitterness, even though he has already amortized it since he has driven 40,000 km since 2022! "My electric scooter will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, and everything is going well. I sign up for ten more years!" A varied use, from daily use to road trips. Four years ago, Victor lived in the Paris region where he worked... in electric mobility! "For the little story, I have a real estate training and I reconverted in electric mobility in large part thanks to Automobile Propre! I had started reading you around 2014-2015, and I acquired a good culture on the subject which allowed me to be hired by Qovoltis, then at SIPLEC of Leclerc (which manages the energy supply of the group) where I am still today." At the time, Victor used his C-Evolution for home-work and vacations. Since then, he has moved to Loire-Atlantique where he works from home. But there is no question of putting the electric scooter away: he uses it for weekends and road trips. He has already traveled throughout France, from Paris to Alès, passing through the Creuse, the Massif Central, the Aubrac and the Cévennes. "I like to take the secondary roads to see the country. That's the interest of the road trip: you avoid the highway, you see things differently." Compromises to make on autonomy and charging. The autonomy of the C Evolution varies according to use. Alone, Victor can drive up to 150 km by driving calmly. But with two people on the highway, at 130 km/h, the autonomy drops to 80 km. "There is a big difference between a calm driving and a sporty driving, like with an electric car," he notes. On the charging side, he has adapted. In Paris, he used Belib' or public stations that he could easily find thanks to Chargemap, and charged for free at his workplace. Now, he charges at home with a subscription at 14 cents per kWh. It is when traveling that it becomes complicated, but with a bit of organization, you can manage. "I spend the night in campsites or hotels that have charging stations to charge during sleep, and during the day, I manage to make stops in villages with heritage, good restaurants..." With 3h30 for a full charge, he can take his time at the table! Comfort, performance and savings. Victor does not stop praising his C Evolution, of which he particularly appreciates the comfort and maneuverability. "It drives very well, even though you have to be careful in the city because of the lack of noise. Pedestrians do not always pay attention!" he specifies. Acceleration is another strong point: "0 to 100 km/h in 6 seconds, like my Ninja 300! The instant torque makes the starts very dynamic." On the economic side, Victor is delighted: "It goes well, there is almost no noise or vibration, so the trips are much less tiring, and it is not expensive to use. I have driven 40,000 km and calculated that I have saved 5,000 euros compared to a thermal engine. And then, the electricity is French, it is better than oil that comes from the other end of the world." A purchase price still too high and limited autonomy. Despite its qualities, the C Evolution of course has some drawbacks. The charging is slow, as we said, and the autonomy is limited on the highways. The weight of the scooter can be considered both an asset and a drawback: "Where some electric scooters are a bit too fragile, the C Evolution is stable and robust, you feel safe on it. However, 300 kg is heavy to handle. If it falls, hello the hassle to lift it up!" Finally, the purchase cost remains high, especially new, even though Victor notes that "today, we are not that far from the price of a TMAX." And of course, who says old machine says somewhat outdated equipment. No central locking on this 2017 model, nor integrated connection for the smartphone. But Victor has made some modifications to modernize the C Evolution: addition of a remote-controlled opening for the trunk, an alarm, a phone holder, a top-case and heated seats. "Since I would like to run it 15-20 years, I invest to make it last!" A satisfactory maintenance overall. The beginning was a bit chaotic, because the IML (Integrated Loading Module) of the C Evolution burned out after less than a year. This module that manages the battery charging costs nearly 3,000 euros to replace, but fortunately the manufacturer covered this repair. "I do not regret having gone through a BMW dealer because this cost would have been really difficult to absorb," he says. Since then, everything has gone very well, even though the maintenance is a bit more demanding now that he lives in Loire-Atlantique: "The nearest garage is an hour away by car. The time to get there, the scooter is almost empty, so you have to wait on site." Despite this, he has never had any other technical problem. For Victor, the future will be electric. He closely follows the news on electric motorcycles, but he sees nothing that comes up to the level of the C Evolution, except perhaps at Zero Motorcycles. His attachment to this scooter goes beyond simple user satisfaction, it is also a matter of convictions. "I believe strongly in electric, and not only for two-wheelers. I am delighted to be part of this transition," he explains with enthusiasm. His experience with the C Evolution has reinforced this conviction: "It is a scooter that proves that electric can be performant, reliable and pleasant on a daily basis. And even if the charging takes a little time, it is a compromise I am willing to make to ride clean."