The Boss R500 Foldable Electric Scooter from Hover 1 is a solid electric scooter with a premium feel, but with some extra weight. With a top speed of 20mph and a range of 24 miles, this will get you around easily and quickly. Living in a big city, I’ve been able to try many different electric scooters each summer with the numerous E-scooters available. But this is my first time owning an electric scooter, which is exciting leading into summer!
Pros:
- Solid Construction.
- Modes make it easier to control and friendly for new users.
- Dual brake types that respond well.
Cons:
- On the heavier side at ~47lbs.
- Handles are designed for the taller crowd.
Setup out of the box was easy, maybe 5-10mins to attach the handlebars, tools and spare screws are included. The power plugs into a covered port on the left side which is great for keeping the charge port clean. This unit uses an external converter, so you will want to bring along the charger if you are going to be riding near or beyond the 24-mile limit as you will have to use the provided charger to recharge. Full charge took the estimated ~5.5 hours, though between uses charging up kept the Boss R500 going strong. Unlike older e-scooters I’ve tried, I didn’t notice any drop in performance when under 10% power.
This is one heavy e-scooter at ~47 lbs., this foldable scooter is not easily called portable. This is not one you will want to take on the train or carry around with you while you’re travelling, or up and down 3 flights of stairs daily. But it makes up for the weight with the solid construction and design choices. The 10in solid tires and dual suspension on both front and rear wheels handle bumps with ease, providing a smooth ride with little discomfort for the rider. The dual brake system is very responsive, drum brake on the front and disk brake on the rear. This was rather helpful as it easily allowed for a quick stop if needed or a gradual slowdown to a stop.
The interface is simple to use and understand, there is only 1 button on the dashboard display that functions as the Power On button and the mode cycler. The LED display on the dashboard is clearly visible even in direct sunlight, I had no issues reading the display in varying conditions. The 4 drive modes limit the maximum speed: Pedestrian (0-3 mph), Eco (0-9 mph), Drive (0-15 mph), and Sport (0-20 mph). This was a huge help as the throttle is very sensitive, I found it took a time to get used to keeping a constant speed. Which made triggering the cruise control feature rather hard at first, as it was hard to apply the same pressure for 6 seconds. It took me about 30 minutes to get the hang of the cruise control, which made the ride much more comfortable.
The paired app is very easy to setup and navigate. A quick sign-up process links your account to the scooter, which allows you to access more features on the scooter such as Lock, Light controls, and sharing functionality. I played around with the sharing functionality with my Partner, who had no issues pairing with the device once I setup her account and shared the device home with her. It’s like other shared home devices features.
We did find that the height of the handlebars is clearly designed for the taller crowd. I’m 5ft 7in and my partner is 5ft 2in, and we both found the height of the handlebars to be a little awkward for us. It’s not enough to be unsafe but took a while to get comfortable with the height.
Let’s not forget about the absolute best feature of this scooter, an old school bike bell! But seriously, the bell is loud enough to clearly hear it over traffic. Paired with the headlight and taillight, the scooter is better equipped than most with safety features to enable you to enjoy your ride while staying safe from traffic.
Overall, I really enjoyed the Boss R100 Electric Scooter. It will be a great way to get around the city this summer, but I will be looking for a place on the ground floor to lock it up in between rides due to the size and weight. I would recommend considering this electric scooter if you are looking for one to use day to day and want an easy ride with plenty of features. Just have an easy place to store it between uses or be ready to lift daily.