Electric kick scooters used to be wonderfully simple machines. A battery, a small motor, two wheels and something to stand on were basically enough.
The Segway MAX G3 E shows how far the category has moved from that formula.
Segway’s latest MAX uses a motor capable of 2,000 watts of peak power, while the European version is limited to 25 km/h. The more useful figure, however, is range: Segway quotes up to 65 kilometers while actually travelling at 25 km/h, rather than producing its headline number only at an unrealistically slow test speed.
Switch to the 15-km/h Eco mode and the claimed figure rises to 80 km.
There’s also an optional 468-Wh external battery. Add that to the standard 597-Wh pack and Segway says the G3 E can travel as far as 105 km at 25 km/h, or 140 km under its slower Eco test conditions.
At that point, range anxiety isn’t much of an argument against commuting by scooter. Comfort may be an even bigger improvement.
The MAX G3 E gets dual hydraulic suspension at the front and adjustable hydraulic suspension at the rear, combined with 11-inch self-sealing tubeless tires. Anyone who has ridden an older rigid scooter over broken pavement will understand why those specifications matter more than another flashy app feature.
Braking has received similar attention, with disc brakes at both ends. Segway also includes traction control and what it calls a Stability Enhancement System, while the body has an IPX6 water-resistance rating and the battery itself is rated IPX7.
Then there’s the dashboard.
Instead of a tiny display showing little more than speed and remaining battery, the G3 E uses a TFT interface supporting navigation information and incoming-call notifications. Apple Find My integration is built in, Bluetooth can unlock the scooter automatically, and the Segway app handles additional settings.
Charging is relatively quick too. The integrated charger needs approximately 3.5 hours, while using an optional second DC input can reduce that to around 2.5 hours.
There is, inevitably, a catch. The MAX G3 E weighs 24.6 kilograms.
Calling something weighing almost 25 kg easily portable requires a generous definition of the word “portable.” Carrying it up several flights of stairs every evening will quickly remind you that all this extra battery, suspension and hardware has to weigh something.
That reveals where premium kick scooters are heading.
The G3 E isn’t really trying to be the tiny last-mile device you casually throw into a car boot. With 2,000 watts, hydraulic suspension, proper disc brakes, navigation, traction control and potentially more than 100 km of range, it increasingly behaves like a compact personal vehicle that happens to fold.
For regular commuters, that may be exactly what makes it appealing. Just don’t volunteer to carry one to the fourth floor.
