Scooter Journalism: Long vs Short range e-scooters
The future is electric and the future is e-scooters. With the e-scooters becoming increasingly more popular and cars being done over and over here. We decided it was time for something new.
Welcome to Scooter Journalism.
For our first test we have 2 indirect competitors lined up against each other.
In the red corner, it’s the SEAT MÓ eKickscooter 65. A proper heavyweight weighing in at 19 kilograms but thanks to the big weight the eKickscooter has a maximum range of 65 km with a top speed of 20 km/h.
And in the black corner we have the BMW E-Scooter. With its 9.9 kg it’s significantly lighter which effectively translates into a smaller range, but this too has it’s advantages.
¡Hola!
The SEAT MÓ eKickscooter 65 is definitely one that will do the longer distances. The name is pretty self explanatory actually. 65 is the claimed range in kilometers the e-scooter can roll about. Thanks to 3 different modes (ECO, Normal and Sport) the eKickscooter can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h. At top speed we had a tested range of over 40 km which is very, very good.
This is mostly thanks to the big battery pack that you’re standing on. And with it comes a built in charger which makes bringing the charging cable with you very easy since you’re only really bringing the cable along.
Traveling larger distances is very comfortable as well thanks to the large 25,4 cm diameter tubeless air tires.
Now this also comes with a few limitations or disadvantages.
For starters, the 551 Wh battery does have a big impact on the overall weight of the eKickscooter. With its 19 kg weight, it’s not really what you call portable. And even though it is able to fold the steering column down very easily allowing you to pick up the scooter in a better way. It’s still quite big: Upright (LxWxH) 117x48x122cm - Folded (LxWxH) 117x47x53 cm.
This meant it barely fit in the trunk of our Golf GTE we tested before we ditched cars.
Der Roller
The BMW E-Scooter has a much simpler name and that’s basically the ethos for this e-scooter. Contrary to the SEAT, this is what BMW calls a last mile e-scooter.
It still reaches speeds of up to 20 km/h and has different modes just like the SEAT has. The BMW also has a smaller battery pack leading to a more compact e-scooter and a weight of just 9.9 kg. This also means it goes easily into the trunk or the backseat of nearly any car. To compensate for the smaller wheels (20 cm diameter up front, 12 cm in the back) the e-scooter has a front wheel shock absorber to provide decent comfort over rougher terrain.
Just like with the SEAT, this does bring in some limitations.
The smaller battery means the range is a maximum of 12 km. Not a lot but you have to remember the purpose of this e-scooter. Plus it still is fully charged again in less than 2 and a half hours.
One other thing is that the mode selector is only available in the app which makes it kinda hard to switch from one mode to another on the go.
Head to head
Now okay this is not a 1 to 1 comparison but more about how you want to be using these e-scooters. The BMW E-Scooter is a lovely thing because you can literally take it anywhere. It fits nice into the trunk, easy to carry with one hand and folds quickly. I’ve had several occasions where usually I would park somewhere and It’d take me so long to just walk somewhere (real first world problems here). With the e-scooter, I’d just zoom around and be where I want to be in no time.
Also in cities where traffic can be a pain in the butt. Just park outside and zoom between the cars stuck in traffic. You feel so much more free once you don’t have to sit in the same traffic you used to sit in.
The SEAT I realised that it’s a bit more tricky to carry around. With its heavy weight, holding it with 2 hands is recommended and loading it in and out of the car is a bit tricky both due to weight and size. I used it more on the occasions I had to go somewhere a little further and didn’t want to pull the plug out of the Golf GTE since it was still charging. Longer trips are very nice thanks to the larger tires and you can really tell this isn’t really the e-scooter that you’d take in and out of the car all the time.
That said, both are great at what they need to do and choosing either is mostly going to come down on how you’ll be using these e-scooters. More of these will come in the future so stay tuned!
