Introduction
The name Segway is eminent and influential in the electric personal transport market. Started from innovating self-balancing electric wheelchair for patients and physically disables, to police patrols in Stockholm, Segway has made its mark on people about how reliable and necessary are personal EVs in modern day to day life.
In 2017, segway announced consumer-priced personal electric transportation, The Segway Ninebot Kick Scooters ES1, ES2, and ES4. But getting the essentials right in the pre crowded EVs and kick scooter market is crucial. So when you want a smooth ride to run your daily errands in the supermarket or to make your last mile to and from the train for the workplace and if you just wish to listen to the breeze down the beach, The kick scooter you get should be robust, reliable and comfortable.
Going green with transport is always healthy on the environment and our pockets too, and the Segway Ninebot ES4 takes you on those short terrains with fun and style. The ergonomics of the ES4 is of the similar quintessential design of kick scooters, but it is fashioned quite distinctively. With attractive color schemes and LEDs on all right places, The ES4 does stand out to be noteworthy.
The battery is under the vertical handlebar, unlike under the deck, compared to other kick scooters, ensuring better safety from batteries ever getting damaged. The front-wheel houses the 800Watt motor, and there is soft rubber on handlebars and deck for better grip and comfort.
The ES4 has some stumbling block, but with the list of features it got, The Segway Ninebot ES4 is almost the perfect E-scooter. Segway claims that their kick scooters are a worthy replacement for bicycles and hoverboards, and its outstanding attributes make it lead ahead of the competition of electric kick scooters, but does the Ninebot ES4 rides as impressive as it sounds?
To answer the query, we make sure you get familiar with ES4 before you decide to get intimate with it.
Features
- Power: The Heart of the Segway Ninebot ES4 is the high performance 800-watt electric motor. The front-wheel houses the electric motor making it the only front-wheel drive scooter in the market. The electric motor is efficient, quiet, and packed with the potential to ride over tough terrains with little effort. For better efficiency, the ES4 electric motor delivers the power output of 300watts but can go up to 800watts depending upon different exercises.
- Speed: The first which amazes you when you ride the Ninebot ES4 is how fast it accelerates. It provides the top speed of 30 kilometers per hour, which makes the ES4 not only the fastest segway Ninebot scooter but also wins the top rank to other electric scooters in the race. Taking its speed into consideration, ES4 is the perfect choice for those who wish to commute to their workplace daily on an E-Scooter.
- Range: One of the major promotions of Segway about Ninebot ES4 is its range. On a fully charged battery, the ES4 can take you as far as phenomenal 45 kilometers. It can easily last for a day’s commute and 2 to 3 days on moderate uses. The range does vary on commuter’s weight and riding preference, but the ES4 certainly is made to spend more time on the road then being plugged to the wall.
- Dual battery: The most stand out feature of the Ninebot ES4 is its dual battery standup. It is equipped with an internal and removable external lithium-ion battery of a total capacity of 374Wh, The additional battery is the powerhouse behind the stupendous maximum range of 45 kilometers. The Smart-BMS(Battery management system) ensures that the batteries don’t overheat, overcurrent, and protects it from getting over-charge, providing it a longer lifetime.
- Thumb Controls and Regenerative brakes: Perhaps the most superlative feature any modern EV is the Regenerative braking system, Which charges up your vehicle’s battery every time you apply the brake, takes you some extra miles ahead. The Segway Ninebot ES4 uses this feature very efficiently on using the front brake. The brake and acceleration controls are on the handlebar of the scooter in a simpler and convenient design of thumb controls. The left Thumb controller brakes the front wheel while the Right thumb controller is the accelerator, both with sufficient resistance and within comfortable reach. The front electric brake is just powerful enough to slow down the vehicle, as for the mighty breaking, there is the rear mechanical brake which can be applied by pressing the rear finder down.
- Fold and carry: With one simple click, the Ninebot ES4 folds and gets ready to be carried around in the trunk of your car. The ES4 weighs 14 kilograms, which makes it easy to carry along in train or bus. The external battery can be removed to reduce the weight of the scooter for more effortless advances. The lightweight and easily foldable form factor of ES4 makes it the perfect choice if you are planning to take a kick scooter on trekking.
- Riding modes: The segway Ninebot ES4 comes with three riding modes: Speed limit mode, Standard mode, and Sport mode. The standard mode brings out the maximum millage from the 300W electric motor, and with sport mode, the ES4 achieves its top speed of 30kmph but compromises on the range. Interestingly there is one more riding mode, which can be taken as the cruise control, the speed limit mode; It lets you pre-set the average speed at which you want to cruise your kick scooter, ensuring both better mileage and power delivery.
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Dashboard Display with One-Button Control: While most of the electric kick scooters with old-fashioned LED indicators for battery levels. The Ninebot ES4 comes with an intuitive dashboard LED display, which shows all the vital information you might require about your battery level, speed, distance, and more. The display is bright enough to read on a bright sunny day and looks decent.
The ES4 carries on to the minimalistic design with its one-button control system. Long-press on the button turns ON or OFF the EV, while a single click turns on the lights (more on this later), and double click gets you to select the riding modes. The button has a good haptic feel and easy to reach while riding as well. Segway made sure the dashboard controls stay minimalistic and hassle-free. - Lights: There are more lights on the ES4 compare to any E-kick Scooter. There is a 1.5W LED headlight, red lights on both sides of rear fender and front as well. The main headlamp is bright enough to guild your terrain and makes other vehicles coming your way aware of your presence. The red hazard lights are also very bright and perfectly placed, and you are not going to feel the need to stick reflective strips on the kick scooter, and the lights give you the confidence to go out for a night ride. But the ES4 is all about bringing you more than what’s essential as there are RGB LEDs underneath kick scooter chassis. The customizable Ambient lighting is what appeals the most about the Ninebot ES4; it eye-catchy and looks cool when you take it out on a night ride. The colors of the LEDs are customizable with many different patterns.
- Smartphone Connectivity: Though the ES4 kick scooter can be operated using the dashboard control button, for more useful features. The Segway connects to Android and IOS smartphones application using Bluetooth. The niftiest feature is that you can Lock/Unlock the kick scooter with the smartphone. So leaving your kick scooter out of the cafe is less worrisome as even if someone takes it away wouldn’t be able to ride it! The App also shows you mandatary information about distance traveled, range left, battery level, and more, and lets you control almost everything about the ES4 kick scooter, from lights to riding modes. You can also set the speed limit using the App and customize the ambient LEDs to your liking.
- Front and Rear Shock Absorption: As most of the kick scooters rely on the air-filled tires to absorb shocks over bumps, the Ninebot ES4 is equipped with hard rubber tires, so you don’t have you worry about sudden punchers and flat tires anyway. But to give you the smooth ride over bumps and rough paths, the ES4 has the most coherent mechanics. It has front and rear shock absorbers with a descent travel limit and is ideally placed to give you a comfortable ride.
- Hill Grade: I mentioned earlier in the review about how the Ninebot ES4 is the perfect Kick scooter to take along on trekkings, and it is true as it has more than one feature to make it the ideal trekking partner. The most substantial advantage the ES4 gets is the 15% hill grade. The 800-watt motor is powerful enough to climb you on severe slopes with little effort.
- Water-Resistant and Robust build quality: The Segway Ninebot ES4 is IPX54 Water-Resistant; thus, you don’t need to worry about taking it out on a rainy day. All the electronic components are well protected, and there is no exposed wire. The build quality of the kick scooter is also worth mentioning as there were no cracking sound or any loose hinge even after rough uses. It can take up to 100kg of payload, and that’s very respectable.
Ninebot ES2 vs ES4
The prime difference between the two Segway kick scooters is that the ES4 comes with an additional external battery. While most of the attributes of the two are similar, the ES4 is the one that gives better performance. Thought the bigger battery comes with its disadvantages as well, it increases the weight and charging time of the ES4.
The buyers who are looking for a quick to charge, lighter kick scooter might go for the affordable alternative. But considering the performance, the ES4 is the smarter choice as the additional battery removable, making it a lighter ES4.
| Basis | Ninebot ES2 | Ninebot ES4 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Capacity | 187Wh | 374Wh |
| Weight | 12.5kg | 14kg |
| Speed | 25km/h | 30km/h |
| Range | 25km | 45km |
| Hill Grade | 10% | 15% |
| Charging Time | 3.5hours | 7 hours |
Safety precautions and Riding gears:
All segway Ninebot kick scooters are UL2272 certified, ensuring you a high grade of electronic components and batteries for safety standards, On top of it the kick scooters are also IPX54 water-resistant. The batteries are placed in an ideal place with no issue of ever getting damaged, unlike in kick scooters where batteries are placed under the chassis. The Ninebot kick scooters are equipped with lights for all necessary precautions.
For rider’s safety and convenience,
Segway provides riding gears in a bundle with the kick scooters.
- Segway Helmet: The CE/CPSC Certified helmet comes in two color variants, it’s airy, adjustable and made of Polycarbonates, making it lightweight and comfortable.
- Segway Phone Holder: As most of the functions of the ES4 can be operated by the smartphone, segway provides a 4-sides claw adjustable mount for your phone. The mount can be installed on the handlebar without any tools and has a good grip.
- Segway Password locker: Another essential gear for the kickscooter is the PVC coated steel cable with a 5digit lock. The Ninebot kick scooter can be electronically lock using the smartphone application, and for better security from thieves, there is a reliable lock cable from segway.
Conclusion
Without any nitpicking Segway Ninebot ES4 is definitely the kick scooter to go for, It offers a lot in its price point, and considering how fun it is to ride this kick scooter, there is no dispute to look around at other brands. The kick scooter is decently stable and easy to maneuver. The riding feels pleasant and secure, and the ES4 doesn’t feel lacking any punch in the riding quality.
