We’re right in the middle of some of the largest changes in the history of transportation. The market for electric vehicles is growing with about 60% per year, while the technology for self-driving cars is advancing by the day.
City commuting has been inefficient for a long time due to limited and/or expensive parking options and public transport is both expensive and unpractical as it does not solve the so-called “last-mile-problem”.
The introduction of electric scooters has almost been a revelation. Being lightweight and foldable, e-scooters solves the last-mile-problem, ensuring you can get from A to B in urban areas swiftly.
Companies like Bird and Lime have been quick to jump aboard the trend with their e-scooter rental services, making it commonplace to see the street flooded with these light electric vehicles.
Not Just For Commuters
At this point, you may think that electric scooters are nothing but a commuting solution. If that is the case, I have to break it to you: you’re dead wrong.
Industry-leading brands like Dualtron and Kaabo have been making headway for years with their high-end top-performance electric scooters.
While most of the commuting scooters you’ll come across in urban areas are limited to somewhere around 15 MPH, having limited 250W-350W motors, high-performance e-scooters take things to a whole different level.
While the likes of Xiaomi M365 scooters set you back around $400 per unit, the fastest scooters around will set you back $2,000 or even more!
They boast incredible top speeds of up to 50 MPH and their ranges on a charge are completely unheard of. Riding in proper conditions will allow you to travel up to 55 miles on a charge with the most expensive models.
For All Ages and Skill Levels
We talked to Paul from ERideHero to have him shed some light on this phenomenon that seems to push the boundaries of what people thought was possible when thinking of a plain kick scooter just a few years back. Here’s what he had to say:
“A few years back, we saw the introduction of hoverboards which quickly boomed in the US. At one point, they were practically under every Christmas tree throughout the country. However, they quickly got a bad name due to spontaneous combustion, causing house fires and injury. The trend, although still there, diminished heavily in recent years due to this.”
“Hoverboards didn’t really serve as a proper commuting vehicle. It was never safe to empower them strong motors so the top speeds on hoverboards remain around 10 MPH to this day. Additionally, they kind of ended up being more of a kids toy than an actual commuting solution.”
But then came Electric Scooters:
“Though they’ve been around for years, they’ve just recently boomed in popularity. We have the likes of Bird and Lift to thank for thank, introducing major cities to these handy devices.
E-scooters dodged clear of the label of being “just kids toys” as they seemed to be the perfect answer to The Last Mile Problem. Also, these vehicles were geared to hold more power and battery while remaining safe for the rider.”
So what about the high-speed scooters?
“As mentioned before, e-scooters, by design, are geared to being able to handle more power as opposed to a hoverboard.
The front-and-back-wheel-setup along with a handlebar is similar to a bike and as we’ve seen with their e-versions, they can go at blazing speeds as well.
Looks like there’s demand for more power than the usual 15 miles per hour commuting e-scooters will offer. People were messing with their models, changing up their motors and braking systems to enhance power and performance long ahead.”
Who are they for?
“High-performance e-scooters are for people who like speed, are comfortable with the trend and have maybe a bit longer commutes than usual people.
Mind you not, the range is far greater on these units. Some of them go off-road – just like people who enjoy mountain biking – so there is definitely a vast market there.”
And where would our readers go about buying one of these?
“At this point, there are more than a handful of solid brands from various manufacturers out there that you can go with.
I actually recently wrote an article comparing some of my favorite high-speed options. The likes of Qiewa, Dualtron, Kaabo, and Nanrobot are always worth checking out.”
That marks the end of our interview. Keep in mind, that though some e-scooters can go extremely fast, there may be national or even local laws to abide by, limiting your options.
Make sure to check up on any speed limit laws in your area before going for a ride.
