KQi Air electric scooter
The innate problem with most electric scooters: They’re just too heavy for most people to fold up and carry around when they’re done riding and need to store it. Many models weigh north of 35 pounds. I remember talking to a guy who developed a super lightweight model about seven years ago, and he told me the problem with it was it just wasn’t stable enough to hold a person’s weight and balance properly during a ride.
So when NIU Technologies officially offered me the chance to test-drive one of its two new lightweight carbon fiber electric kick scooters, the KQi Air, I accepted the opportunity. It weighs 26.2 pounds and its frame is made of carbon fiber (70 percent) and magnesium (30 percent). The brand – which also makes excellent e-bikes, by the way – says the scooter offers an exceptional power-to-weight ratio that guarantees unparalleled portability while delivering impressive performance built for the city. With a 20-mph top speed, 31-mile range, and 700-watt max power, it gives people a thrilling and efficient ride while being able to even tackle hills with a 20 percent climb.
Now I know that from my many years covering the golf equipment market, carbon fiber offers excellent strength-to-weight in club shafts. It’s also commonly used in exotic supercars, space engineering and aircrafts. And in the scooter, you can see the cool weave pattern in the handlebars as you step on the deck. The scooter also has a lithium-ion battery that can charge from empty to full in five hours; brake lever on the left handlebar that triggers dual-action brake calipers that are made from die-cast aluminum alloy to ensure smooth braking performance and safety; cruise control; headlight; dedicated right and left turn signal buttons; and five customizable riding modes: sport, dynamic, e-save, cruise and pedestrian. It also has large 9.5-inch tubeless tires. I felt the deck was a bit smaller than other models I’ve tested lately.
But the real test is the riding experience. I tried this for the past week and have some thoughts. First of all, the lack of weight is totally noticeable when you pick up the machine. It feels amazing, compared to any other model I’ve tried. Assembling the necessary parts is a breeze – it takes six tiny screws to attach the neck to the handlebar frame. Screws and wrench are included. Shouldn’t take you more than a couple of minutes.
The display is nice and bright. And refreshingly, it defaults to miles per hour instead of kilometers per hour. But it’s also customizable via a companion app that I did not bother with. You don’t need it to operate the scooter. Acceleration was smooth. But to be honest, I thought handling it was a little bit affected by the lack of weight – just as that guy warned me seven years ago. I felt that the scooter often seemed wobbly on straightaways, which is frankly scary when you’re traveling at 15 or 20 miles per hour. Going up steep hills with speed was a breeze. Once I got used to the braking, slowing down the scooter went more smoothly. Initially, it was a bit sensitive and jerky.
Overall, it’s a peppy machine that delivers on what it touts – lightweight, speed and convenience. It will eventually cost $1,400 but is selling for $949 at the time I write this.