With the LIME Electric Scooter craze hitting New Zealand - if I want to buy a scooter, what do I need to know?

Hey Everyone,

Electric Scooters at the moment seems to be on everyone's minds at the moment here in New Zealand, thanks in large part to LIME and its introduction to both Auckland & Christchurch of hundreds of their models.

The media is also having a field day with this & the papers seems to be filled with articles for & against the introduction of these on our city footpaths.

The Lime scooter is a purpose made "hire scooter" and has been especially customised for this application - so that is wirelessly connects up wit the Lime Network & also with your APP.  So no unfortunately you can't buy one - however there are some really good options around.

A couple of important things that you should really look for when purchasing an Electric Scooter:

1) The Power Output (normally rated in Watts)

2) Is it built well, and is it going to last?

3) Is there after-sales support if needed?

4) What is the range?

5) Do I need suspension on my new scooter?

6) Are there any other things I should consider?

This is a really good question, and this is important as the higher the Watt rating the more the scooter will handle hills, and basically have more "kick" when in use.  Anything under 250W is basically a toy, so 250W should really be a starting point although at this level you are NOT going to be able to handle hills very well.  The Xiaomi M265 is rated at 250W - so just bear this in mind.  At 300W this level of Scooter is made to handle inclines & small hills, & top speeds can be as much as 25 kph.  The Lime scooter here in NZ is 300W as so are models like the Segway ES2 model (which is widely available also).  We have the amazing Powerocks S2 which has an incredible 350W of output.  At 300 - 350W this is an adequate power output for anyone looking to use their scooter for commuting & traveling distances.

Build quality is very important when choosing an electric scooter, a new scooter might look good when you first get it but after lots of riding the wear & tear can really start to show if you haven't bought well.  You want to first look at a scooter that has a solid feel about it, has strong joints (especially the main folding joint).  Products like the Segway & the Powerocks are built very well & you can tell right away, but be careful as there are some no-name brands out there that not only are cheap, but look and feel very cheap also.  Steer clear of these!

When you first look at a new electric scooter probably the last thing on your mind is "does it have good local New Zealand backup and support" - but we encourage you to certainly bear this in mind, otherwise you could be just wasting your money is 6 months time if something goes wrong and it can't be fixed.  Right now it is questionable as to whether there is any New Zealand support for the Xiaomi M265 model - this would not be good, if that were the case.  Products like the Segway, Inokim have local support in place.

Range is an important feature to consider particularly if you are going to commute with your scooter or travel distances.  Most modern electric scooters have at least 15km + range between charges, 

If you are going to be Commuting OR traveling distances then I would suggest look at a scooter that has some suspension - either front, back or both.  This will seriously make your ride a LOT more comfortable, especially when traveling over rough pavements.

Other important things to think about are maximum allowable weight - particularly if you are over 100KG.  Most electric scooters will indicate max weight.  Also most scooters 250W or under will struggle a little if you are over 100KG to be honest.
Also bear in mind what braking system a scooter uses, there are a number of different kinds, and most should at least have a front break which is controlled at the handle-bar, and a manual kick-brake which is like a back-up brake which is controlled by simply putting pressure on the back-guard.  This one is great if required in an emergency.

Well there you go - some of the important things to think about when purchasing a new electric Scooter.  If you want to know more about the great product that we sell : the Powerocks S2 - then you can find more information on our website: https://techoutlet.co.nz/products/powerocks-s1-electric-scooter