The Best Electric Scooters For Your Urban Commute

Do you commute to work? Ah... those five words in that question that we have heard so many times. And if you live in a densely populated urban area, as approx 54% of the worlds population do already, and is estimated to rise to ⅔ of all the people on the planet within the next 15-30 years...your answer usually begins with a sigh… and...”yes”....followed by the explanation as to how you travel, as well as lambasting said means of transport. Be it sitting in traffic in your car, or waiting for the bus, that always seems to be accommodating more people than it was ever designed for, or the subway, which is standing place only, when travelling at peak hours..if you even have a subway in your city that is. Of course you can bike to work people say. Yes true, but usually that means you arrive at work out of breath and sweating as if you’ve just been on the bike at the gym, which basically you have, and so is not a very attractive option for a lot of people.

No wonder then, that we are always looking for a way to cut the commute time as well as make it as convenient as possible, not to mention cutting another monthly cost to a minimum. Enter the urban electric scooter. Few things on the human transportation side have grown as quickly and as strongly as the urban electric scooter. Here then, maybe is the answer to a lot of the problems in daily city commutes. We see them all over already, much to the chagrin of a lot of people as they lie scattered about and, in all honesty... it is not a pretty sight. One must ask oneself the question of how long the authorities will allow for this “use and throw to the side” way of moving around. The “rentashare scooters” might be convenient but they do look flimsy and they are obviously not top of the range quality. So you might want to consider investing in your own one. And in so doing, you will want to make sure you get the best one at the best price obviously.

So questions that you might ask yourself regarding your urban commute are things like, how far is it to my workplace? How much time do I spend (lose) on public transport? How much does my everyday commute cost me? How convenient can my way of transportation be, the accessibility etc? Upon reviewing these questions, most would find out that if... the human body could transport itself, with reasonable speed, without any physical straining effort, not be bogged down in traffic, and not polluting the city air and….at a minimum monthly cost...it would be magic. The answer is, the urban electric scooter. Once you’ve decided this is an option for you, other things to consider are, build quality, weight, battery pack, charging times, safety features, brakes, lights and of course, price. Here is a buyers guide then to some of the best options on the market now.

Fluidfreeride - CITYRIDER

The Cityrider is a lightweight foldable scooter that might be an option if you don’t need to commute very far, you are looking for something that is not too heavy to carry, and is not to pricey. It weighs 28,5 lbs/12,9 kg, with a clever quick folding of the stem that makes it easy to carry in one hand. It has a range of 10 miles/16 km before recharging is needed. It has a 36V/300 W brushless hub motor that drives the front wheel and will reach a top speed of 18 mph/30 kph so plenty enough for your urban commute. Rear drum and rear step on for stopping power is sufficient well enough. It has integrated front and rear LED lights as well as indicators which is a safety feature not to be discarded when dark outside. It has honeycombe solid tires, which is fine and assures you never get a flat tire, but obviously can’t compete with inflated tires for comfort. If you live in San Francisco, or a very undulating area, this one might not be the best option as you would need more power to cruise up hills without too much effort. As with all Fluid Freerides Electric scooters the build quality is good. They all feel solid and the stem is not wobbling or have the feel of little more than a plastic straw ready to snap at any given moment. They retail at 399 USD and is good value for money.

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Fluidfreeride - HORIZON

Upping your budget to just shy of double that of the Cityrider, you will step into the next level category of performance. The Horizon is a perfect urban commuter for those looking for a bit more options regarding range and maybe speed. Now we have a 10.4 Ah battery that will give you 20 miles/32 km range or, you can opt for the larger 13 Ah battery and extend your range to 25 miles/40 km. And this is actually one of the scooters that delivers on promise of range. In tests, and in comparison to other scooters, many of them fail to achieve the promised range from manufacturer. This one actually exceeded the range by one mile in real live world testing! It has a 48V 500W brushless hub motor that can deliver a peak output of 800W in bursts. This is perfect if you live in a hillier area as the extra power will easily tackle 15% inclines without losing performance. Top speed is 25 mph/40 kph.

The power delivery is less focused on quick acceleration but delivers more of a smoother start, which after all, is no bad thing as it’s not a drag race to get to work is it? A really smart feature is the folding of the stem, which allows for folding of handlebars as well, making it a neat package of 40lbs/18 kg or 42 lbs/19 kg if you opt for the more powerful version of battery. It is heavier than the Cityrider but not by much. It should be easy enough to carry up some stairs or into your workplace for storage when not in use. It’s rear wheel drive with rear drumbrakes with a regenerative braking system. The front wheel is pneumatic (airfilled) whereas the rear is solid. This is something that needs to be taken into account. It’s easy to slide the rear when braking and for those who are into drifting, this can be fun….but also a bit risky if a quick stop is necessary. The overall ride is relatively smooth due to the suspension. The front suspension is above the front wheel and this, in combination with the airfilled front tire, soaks up the roadsurface well enough. Cleverly, the rear has a dual hydraulic system which is attached to the standing platform from the wheel. This is much needed as the solid rear wheel has no flex whatsoever, but with the suspension it feels like it does. It has three front and two rear LED:s with brake lights that will blink red to let people behind know you are slowing down obviously. It even has a USB port that you can plug your phone into for charging. How cool is that? It is available at 729 USD and is definitely a candidate to consider amongst others.

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Fluidfreeride - WIDEWHEEL

One of the strongest candidates on the market to consider is definitely the WideWheel. Think Golf GTI world... if that is not a too crazy comparison. Whereas the Cityrider and Horizon is more Ford/Toyota, and nothing wrong with that, but still. This is a power package that is strong, fast, looks cool and has a lot going for it. It comes with an option of one motor, or the dualmotor version, which has a 13.2 Ah 500W motor on each wheel, so a total of 1000W.. and in all honesty….that’s the only one to consider. Focus on this scooter has been performance, rather than an elaborate display with multiple options of info. It will give you a top speed of 25 mph/40 kph and a range of 20 plus miles/32 km on a single charge. The name of course is based on it having very wide foamfilled wheels that will never puncture. Apart from looking cool, they give a certain “sporty” feeling and a sense of more control of the journey then narrower tires does.

The folding mechanism of the stem is maybe not the quickest one on the market as it is a turning knob version, but reason for this is again, focus on performance, and with this system, you will get a stem that is tight and without any risk of play or looseness in it. Handlebars can also be folded which is a great feature once you need to carry it or stow it somewhere. Front and back spring suspension is sturdy with a well balanced set up, and a rear disc brake makes sure you stop in time. It does weigh a bit more with dual motors and now the scale stops at 50 lbs/22,7kg:s...so maybe not something you carry very long distances but why would you? A high positioned front light as well as a rear light with brake indicator is good, but maybe not the most illuminated scooter on the market if you plan on riding a lot in the dark. Bringing extra lights as you would on a bike for instance is then recommended. At 1199 USD you will get a great power package that might just be the perfect electric scooter urban commute for you.

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Fluidfreeride - MANTIS

If the WideWheel is the golf GTI of the bunch, then the Mantis is the BMW 7 series. This one is for the serious electric scooter user who needs to make sure to get to where you want comfortable, can climb steep hills effortlessly, and even over rougher terrain….and fast as hell!! It seems this one has most of everything covered to accommodate its user. Like with the WideWheel, there are two versions to choose from. The Base version is equipped with a 17,5 Ah 40 mile/64 km range option, or the PRO version with 24,5 Ah 55 mile/88 km range. This is the one we will focus on here. The PRO version has two 1000 W motors. You can choose to conserve battery and drive on the one motor only, (eco mode) or with both for more performance. In eco mode, the range will easily be 50 miles/80 km, and in full power mode 30 miles/48 km which is quite astonishing actually. Top speed is 40 mph/64 km/h which is also astonishing if not to say slightly on the mad side of all things electric scooter wise. This is a full helmet and protective gear scooter make no mistake about that.

The dual front and rear spring arm suspension works wonderful and again makes you feel like you are in a higher division of these types of vehicles. This in addition to bigger wheels fitted with 10”x 2,5” airfilled tires, makes for a very comfortable ride and one that will not shy away from dirt roads, curbs other smaller obstacles if not to extreme that is. Offroading on weekends in rougher terrain is a possibility with this scooter. Weight will obviously climb with a bigger package such as this and the PRO hits the scale at 65 lbs/29 kg. So the elevator to work or to ones apartment is probably the way to go with this one. Apart from front and rear, It has a really cool LED underdeck lighting as well that makes sure you are seen at night, and again will indicate you have the coolest scooter around. Fully hydraulic dual disc brakes is what will make sure you stop in time if needed. It will take between 8-12 hours to recharge so that needs to be planned for. At 1 649 USD it is not the cheapest out there, but as with the BMW, you get what you pay for. The display is easy to operate and gives you the options with the press of a button to go eco mode or turbo….turbo is the most fun of course and most likely that’s where it will stay. Oh...and lest I forget to warn you, when accelerating, it is easy to make the front wheel spin, such is the power here. Will impress and scare away competitors though.

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Fluid Freeride - Mosquito

On the other end of the spectrum of the Mantis, and if you don’t care about top speed, or impressing other fellow commuters in any way except coming to work easy and as cheap as possible, you have the Mosquito. Here then is a nimble electric scooter that does the job without too much fuss. This is the lightweight world of scooters and with only 22 lbs/ 9,9 kg:s it weighs about the same as your average sports road bike. This one is equipped with a 36V 300 W motor that drives the front wheel. Range is 15 miles/24 km and it will get you there at a top speed of 20 mph/ 32 km/h. Impressively, in tru Fluid Freeride style, it has front and rear suspension, which is not the thing you would expect at first glance and comparing to other scooters.

The battery here is placed in the stem as opposed to under the board like on the other scooters mentioned above. The front has an electric brake and rear is as with kick scooters, done with your leg. A really cool feature is the tail red light which is powered by a solarcell. There is a LED front light but again, don’t rely on it too much to illuminate your path if riding in the dark. A USB insert here as well for your phone. The folding mechanism of the stem is done by the simple pull of a locking mechanism and takes no time. After which you almost feel you can carry it in your backpack….well almost, it is that light. So if you are on a budget, but looking for a scooter that will be more than a toy and still provide some comfort and performance, at 479 USD, look no further than the Mosquito.

So in summary. However you look at it, the electric scooter way of moving around in an urban area has a lot going for it. After all, this is the first time something we dreamed of when we were kids actually exists in real life. After all, we’ve seen all kinds of cool ways of transporting yourself in sci fi movies but discarded them as nigh on impossible and only ever a fantasy. Well science and technology moves relentlessly forward doesn’t it? With the development of the batteries and the upping of their standards, it is a clever trick to mount them on what is essentially a skateboard of sorts. The closest thing we now actually have to the famous hoverboard we saw Michael J. Fox:s character Marty McFly ride in Back to the future II...and boy did we wish we had one of those. If you consider getting one, after you’ve tried it, you will most likely opt to use this as your way to get to work or other places, faster, more convenient, and cheaper than anything but a bike or walking can compete with this far. They are small and nimble in comparison to f.e. a bike and can be carried into your apartment, or to your workplace. Recharging them is simple and does not require anything other than a standard power outlet, and the cost is basically the same as a well sorted bike, that you still have to pedal, takes up more space, and... unless you have the legs of professional GC rider Chris Froome, is much faster as well. Easy to ride and handle and with minimum requirements of maintenance, it is probably not long before we see more and more of these being the primary choice of urban commute at least for the younger generation. What’s not to like?

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