“I needed a vehicle for my 8-mile commute from Queens to Brooklyn. My $350 Jetson Breeze electric scooter wasn't quite cutting it, since the battery barely lasted the full 8 miles and its 250-watt motor and clunky build meant I was slow and frankly felt lame riding it. I started researching the top-performance-tier EUCs because I wanted one of the fastest electric vehicles I could get (I'm also a long-time motorcyclist), but I was very concerned about the safety of commuting in NYC on an EUC. The likelihood of faceplanting in front of a taxi was enough to steer me away. Luckily, I found this scooter, which has similar speed and range capabilities to a good EUC, and the form factor (it has handlebars) made me feel much more safe, so I bought it.
After making the commute several times, I can say this scooter is an absolute beast. It takes less than half the time to commute by scooter than it would if I took the subway or ferry. I can cruise at 25+ mph, which means I'm fast enough to hold my own in most car lanes (most city streets have a 25 mph speed limit). This is a big deal - since I'm so fast, cars rarely feel the need to pass me, and being passed is in my opinion one of the most dangerous parts of riding in traffic. Honestly, I usually end up passing most cars because they have to slow down much more frequently than I do. I would be happy with a bit more acceleration power, but I can't really complain. It isn't actually a motorcycle after all.
The front and rear suspension is a life-saver too. It makes the ride smooth enough to take at such a breakneck pace. It's no Cadillac suspension, but it will absorb bumps reasonably and I can hop off curbs no problem. It's also fun to leverage the bounciness to hop over small obstacles and slippery spots.
The battery capacity on this thing is insane. I can commute to work and back (16 miles total) and still have about half my battery left. I'll have to see if this degrades over time, but I don't require any more range, and I could even charge at work if I wanted to take a 30 mile joyride on my way home.
Something else that I really like about this scooter is that I feel really cool riding it. It looks slick, and the performance is so amazing that I can ride it like a madman, and people often see me ripping down the street and exclaim "Woah!" or whatnot. I just have so much more confidence on it than I did on my cheap scooter and it feels great.
Now, the negatives. The brakes are bad. There's only a rear brake which is physically much less capable of stopping you than a front brake. It also requires a tremendous amount of force to pull the brake lever which is pretty annoying. I have to remove three or four fingers from my grip to pull the brake lever hard enough to apply pressure to the wheel, and I need to lean back pretty far to put enough weight on the back tire to keep it from skidding. The stopping distance on this scooter is simply not sufficient for how fast it is, which is a massive safety concern. It is regenerative though, which is very nice.
The scooter is also whisper quiet above about 8mph, which is great, but it absolutely needs a bell. I bought a $5 bike bell and attached it (which wasn't very easy - there's not a lot of options on the handle bars for mounting bells conveniently) and I'm constantly ringing to warn pedestrians and announce my presence. When people see you flying by at 27 mph they usually give you plenty of space, but they need to hear you first, so a built-in bell would have been a welcomed addition.
All in all, I'm thrilled I invested in this scooter. It is perhaps the best possible way of traveling in NYC and has taken back an hour of my day from commutes. When I get to my destination I'm usually giggly from the excitement of my ride. I can adjust to the lacking brake ability but including front brakes would have been so much better - that's why I gave it 4 stars and not 5. If you have the money to spend and don't need to carry your scooter up stairs, the larger Pro IV model seems to have better brakes, suspension, and battery. But if you do have to carry your scooter or want to be able to bring it on trains and whatnot, this Mini model is almost certainly the best choice.
Always wear a helmet. Cheers.”
Thanks you for the exhaustive review!
About the rear-braking, have have you tried to setup the regenerative braking from the Dash? There a couple options for it's sensitivity, which will greatly improve the stopping distance.
“So I'll be quick here. I own 2 electric skateboards, Gotway Tesla, Msuper V3 and an MCM 4. I got the mini 4 last year as something that my girlfriend could ride and keep up, without having to learn a whole new skillset required for a EUC. I must say that this scooter exceeded my expectations especially for the price. Just make sure to take care of it properly. Lubricate the springs from time to time so the ride is nice and springy. Great buy.
Great service at Ewheels as well.”
“Good build quality and design..some very minor flaws but well worth the money..fast and good battery life..locking mechanism for steering column needs some tweaking(my locking pin just fell inside the tube)..rubber stop needed to be replaced with thinner one and interface not very intuitive/battery meter inaccurate but other than that engineering is impressive..BTW no need to ever look for a faster one..25 mph on a scooter feel like 80 in a car..customer service was very good and sent missing trolley wheels in separate parcel”
“Speedway Mini4 Review
So, I researched high and low before making this purchase. I wanted something with range, and climbing ability as I live on a hill in Brooklyn NY. Well this model certainly has both. I'm also really impressed with the speed of this scooter. Although it's rated at the top speed being 28mph, I've only gotten up to 25mph. But that is plenty fast enough! I typically leave it in second gear, with the top end 18mph.
Range - I've yet to get down to 50% battery. I rode from the west village in Manhattan, down to, and over, the Brooklyn Bridge, through Park Slope, and into Sunset Park. That's right around 8 miles. Not THAT long a distance, but when I arrived I still had 77% battery.
Another consideration in deciding on the Mini4 was it's weight. At 36lbs it's easy enough to go in and out of a trunk, and apartment building. I've even taken it on the subway twice! In the actual subway, it was fine until the car started to get really 'rush hour' full. At that point it was a bit unruly. There's not a real easy way to keep it upright. Too steep of an angle one way and it rests on the rear fender. The other way there's not really anything to hold onto, as the starting doesn't lock when folded. Honestly, though, I did not get this to be taken into the subway in rush hour situations, so it's not really a big deal to me.
I'm still waiting for the seat to be delivered. After about 30 minutes on it, I really would've liked to have had a seat, certainly wasn't necessary, just would have been nice.
All in all I am VERY happy with this purchase. I'm looking forward to the summer, so I can really log some miles!
John K
Brooklyn NY USA”
Thanks John, sorry about the delay with shipping the seat out. Transferring the spare parts over to our new service center proved a great deal more difficult than expected.
“This is my second electric scooter, my first being one of those "last mile" rigs. The M4 is crazy fast and has excellent range....no more coming home "on fumes" with crossed fingers. The details are incredible...cruise control, functional brake lights, comprehensive dash board (odometer, voltmeter and so on), etc., etc., etc. It makes my original rig seem like a $750 pile of slow junk. The Ewheels customer service is top notch. I was apprehensive about buying another scooter after the disappointment in my last rig (a different brand from a different vendor). Jason answered all of my questions quickly and clearly (even though I emailed him several times over several days). I have a chronic back injury that leaves me with periods of limited mobility. The M4 appears to be just the rig to get me to my various fly fishing destinations as well as the ATM, hardware store and other errands. Looks like the Challenger will be spending more time, than usual, parked in the garage. Thank you Jason and the Ewheels team. - A.T.H.”
“Over the years I have owned quite a few electric kick scooters, and this one is by far the best. The range is really wonderful! Less charging means more lifetime out of the battery. In addition to the speed and torque, it is the little things too that tip the scales in favor of this scooter over previous ones that I've owned: The back and front lights, brake light, grip tape on the deck, functional mechanism for locking the handlebars in place... and the list could go on and on.
eWheels has also been amazing every step of the way. A couple of screws managed to come off of the scooter during a particular bumpy ride, and they offered to send new ones free of charge. Before purchasing the scooter, I chatted with the online support team and they answered all of my questions and were insanely helpful.”
“Loving this scooter. I try to ride it to and from work most days, weather permitting. I rode it for the first week or two with the slow start (P7) setting set to 1, but lately I've been enjoying the instant power delivery of the 0 setting (no slow start); it can definitely jolt you pretty hard though if you go full throttle from the get-go. All-in-all, it's definitely the best bang for the buck scooter currently on the market - the reliability, speed, and range of this scooter can't be beat for the price point.”
“Amazing amazing device! I ride this 20+ miles every day to get to and from work. Folds quickly and easily. Has saved me loads of money in transportation costs and its fun to ride to boot!!!”
