Marketed as the ultimate e-scooter from Segway, the NINEBOT MAX UL2272 certified e-scooter is certainly the highest specs electric scooter ever produced by one of the largest e-scooter manufacturers in the world.
On Indiegogo, the NINEBOT MAX gathered more than $6 milllion from close to 6,000 backers. This is quite a feat as far as e-scooter funding is concerned.
As the Singapore authorized distributor, MOBOT had the privilege to have a first hand experience with the NINEBOT MAX e-scooter.
Here are 5 things which makes the NINEBOT MAX a notch above the rest, making the NINEBOT MAX one of the best standing electric scooter released in 2019.
Simultaneous braking with regenerative feature
Traditionally, e-scooters come with a brake lever for each brake. For example, the NINEBOT ES2 has a front thumb lever on the handlebar for the front brake and a rear fender on top of the rear wheel for the rear brake.
Another usual combination would be 2 brake levers on the handlebar where each level controls a brake. For inexperienced riders, they may depress the front brake too hard thus increases the risk for falling forward.
On the other hand, the NINEBOT MAX is equipped with a front mechanical drum brake and rear electronic brake. These 2 brakes are controlled by a single brake lever mounted on the left of the handlebar.
When the lever is depressed, both the front and rear brakes are activated simultaneous in a controlled manner. This results in a very smooth and stable braking.
Built-in adaptor
This is one of the features that captures most backers when they saw the NINEBOT MAX project on Indiegogo. No more bring external AC charging adaptor during your ride. All you have to do now is to bring a less than 100gram cable.
There are 2 charging ports on the NINEBOT MAX. The DC charging port is to be used with the external charging adaptor and the AC charging port with the charging cable.
NINEBOT MAX states that it charges faster than similar capacity e-scooter. Indeed, it took us just slightly more than 6 hours to charge it from empty to full. A similar electric scooter with 15AH battery and using 2A charger will take us at least 8 hours.
The built-in adaptor uses 2.9A charging current.
The external AC charging adaptor can provide even faster charging. It can charge from empty to full in around 4 hours.
This is because it is using 5A charging current.
Having said that, there are disadvantages to have the charging adaptor built into the electric scooter. If the charger adaptor needs replacement, you will have to bring the NINEBOT MAX to the service center. In the past, all you have to do is order the AC charger adaptor online and MOBOT will ship it to your doorstep.
Rear wheel drive
The NINEBOT MAX is equipped with a 350W DC brushless motor with a peak output of 700W. This is generally sufficient for the occasional steep slope you encounter in Singapore.
But what makes the NINEBOT MAX different is that the motor is mounted on the rear. In other words, this is a rear wheel drive electric scooter.
Most standing e-scooters are front wheel drive. A rear wheel drive pushes the scooter forward instead of pulling it. This gives better traction against the ground and also improve the stability.
Design
Maybe it is because the NINEBOT MAX was designed with e-scooter sharing in mind, some of the design elements are simple and rugged.
Firstly, the front led lights are protected with damage as it is mounted below the protruding display panel. We simulated various positions that the NINEBOT MAX might fall and at no position the light suffered from a direct impact.
The same goes for the bell. NINEBOT MAX uses a rotating bell with no protruding parts. Though we find it quite weird at first, we got used to it after a few rides. You can turn the bells in any directions to warn the pedestrians ahead.
Next is the use of drum over disc brake. Drum brake generally has less maintenance issue then disc brake using cable actuated or hydraulic. This is because it is fully sealed therefore will not have its braking capabilities affected by by weather and dirt.
Finally, the tyres are pneumatic tubeless. Initially we expected NINEBOT to use solid honeycomb tyres like MOBOT L1-1, instead they chose to use 10” tubeless tyres with sealing sealant pre-injected.
The sealant works for small round punctures. It does not make the tyres puncture-proof.
The reason is NINEBOT did not design the NINEBOT MAX to have suspension. Adding suspension will not only increase the weight but also means one more consumable part. As such, NINEBOT used air filled tyres to cushion the ride which we find it sufficient for a urban environment.
App
This is usual feature for almost all NINEBOT products. We find their app easy to use and very helpful.
You can perform self diagnostics, track travelled distance, change riding modes and lock your NINEBOT etc.
There is a special “Pedestrian” mode on the NINEBOT app to limit the speed to 6km/h. A very thoughtful feature from NINEBNOT.
The rider can control the e-scooter more comfortably at low speed without having to press/depress the throttle constantly.
Conclusion
The NINEBOT MAX is certainly one of the best, if not the best UL2272 certified e-scooter to be released in 2019. This e-scooter boost a 65km range with fast charging capabilities. This range can easily replace your current transportation method.
We expect other e-scooter makers to copy some of the NINEBOT MAX features. But to surpass the product quality from NINEBOT, one of the largest e-scooter manufacturers in the world, we doubt so.
Get your NINEBOT MAX at MOBOT.
Click here to find out more.
If you currently own a non UL2272 e-scooter and wish to switch the a UL2272 certified, click here to find out more about MOBOT trade-in program and LTA Early Disposal Incentive Scheme.
