Final month, I had the possibility to go to Los Angeles and attend Micromobility America, a yearly business tradeshow specializing in e-bikes, e-scooters, and different small-format automobiles. To get across the metropolis for a couple of days, I borrowed a VMAX VX2 Excessive from VMAX’s Los Angeles distribution heart and it made all of the distinction in navigating a metropolis that’s notoriously laborious to get round.
My common readers and viewers will know I’m an e-bike first man, however that I received’t say “no” to any type of micromobility. I’ve ridden virtually all the pieces, so you’ll be able to wager that I rely electrical scooters in my steady, too, even when it’s predominantly comprised of e-bikes. And I have to say that there’s one thing good about with the ability to stash your scooter within the trunk of an Uber or underneath a practice seat when obligatory.
Whereas in LA, I used to be excited to lastly get an opportunity to evaluate a VMAX scooter, since I’ve adopted the corporate’s US growth with curiosity during the last yr or so. As a Swiss-based firm, VMAX first discovered success in Europe earlier than increasing into the US with bigger and extra highly effective fashions.
The corporate let me borrow a VX2 Excessive electrical scooter, which is a 25 mph (40 km/h) scooter that’s surprisingly highly effective. It doesn’t look a lot greater than a dirt-cheap GoTrax or related price range scooter, but it’s a lot quicker and extra highly effective—to the tune of 1,600W of peak energy.
You possibly can see the way it rides in my video evaluate beneath, or maintain studying for the entire story.
VMAX VX2 Excessive Video Evaluate
Changing into a scooter man in LA
LA is infamous for being tough to navigate, and even you probably have a automotive, that doesn’t imply you’ll be getting anyplace rapidly. Relying on who you ask, the general public transportation system is both a trainwreck or considerably first rate, although nobody will let you know LA has well-developed public transit.
That’s why I knew I wished to have the ability to rely as a lot as doable by myself unbiased transportation whereas within the metropolis, and a scooter made sense. With the VMAX’s 25 mph high pace, I may sustain with most metropolis site visitors, but I may nonetheless simply stow it to slot in the trunk of a rideshare automotive or stash it in my lodge room with out drawing a lot discover from the entrance desk.
My journey began with visiting VMAX’s distribution heart in downtown LA, which had me taking a 30-minute stroll that was each refreshing and an important reminder of how gradual it’s to get round an enormous metropolitan space on foot alone. Don’t get me fallacious – I like strolling and I additionally use jogging as my major type of train. However a pair of footwear simply isn’t a really quick or environment friendly transportation methodology in a giant metropolis.
After attending to tour VMAX’s giant warehouse and see how they fulfill buyer orders from all around the US (in addition to get a take a look at a number of completely different fashions they provide), the staff let me borrow a VX2 Excessive and despatched me on my approach. My subsequent cease was an occasion down in Costa Mesa close to Irvine, which Google Maps advised me could be a 43-mile (69 km) journey from Downtown LA, and which simply so occurred to be the precise vary of the longest vary model of the VX2 Excessive scooter (it comes with three battery choices of between 28-43 miles of vary relying which battery measurement you select).
Nevertheless, these vary rankings are not often on the scooter’s most pace and energy degree, which I supposed to be rocking for many of the journey. However Google Maps advised to me that it will be a straightforward practice trip as a substitute, with only a couple miles of scooting to and from the practice station on both finish. Superior!
I scooted on over to the practice station and arrived simply in time… to overlook the practice by two minutes. No worries, again house there’s a practice each 10 minutes or so. I checked the practice schedule and to my horror, the subsequent practice wasn’t scheduled for greater than two hours from now. Thanks, LA.
I didn’t have that sort of time – I’ve acquired a micromobility convention to get to! So I needed to swallow my delight and order an Uber. Luckily the scooter folded up and match simply within the trunk together with my journey backpack and my digital camera backpack. That’s not one thing I can usually do on my e-bikes!
Forty-something miles later, I used to be in Costa Mesa with time to spare, which I spent fortunately burned by scooting round. It was my first probability to spend greater than a few rushed minutes using the scooter extra pleasurably to get an actual really feel for it. The VX2 Excessive doesn’t have suspension however nonetheless felt fairly good on town streets, even when hopping the occasional curb or pace bump.
The construct is clearly fairly sturdy, with out giving me the rickety feeling I get on cheaper high quality scooters. And the facility is surprisingly potent. Once I put the scooter in its highest energy setting, referred to as Beast Mode, I’d usually by chance wheelie it whereas beginning, since I are likely to maintain my rear foot on the board and push off with my entrance foot. These wheelies had been enjoyable, however I made a decision to largely scoot round in a single notch beneath the best energy mode, as that felt extra affordable for on a regular basis using. However it’s good to know you’ve acquired extra energy than you want, as a substitute of merely maxing it out 100% of the time.
Because the winter solar set rapidly, it gave me my first probability to take a look at the lighting and switch indicators on the scooter. These flip indicators are literally fairly shiny in the course of the day, lighting up the handlebar finally ends up excessive for higher visibility, in addition to motorcycle-style flip indicators down low on the rear of the scooter. The rear flip indicators are flexibly mounted, that means they’ll bend and bounce again into place as a substitute of breaking once they inevitably hit one thing.
The flip indicators had been weirdly spectacular. You possibly can see within the picture above how the decrease ones mild up the highway and the higher ones are fairly seen by protruding to the edges on the handlebar ends.
Usually, I deride most e-bike and e-scooter flip indicators as a result of they’re usually diminutive and unclear, largely serving as a flashing mild so near the car’s centerline that they don’t obtain their aim of really indicating path. However VMAX has accomplished an important job with these, as they’re each attention-grabbing and clearly point out that you simply’re about to show—which is necessary when rapidly using round automobiles at night time.
I additionally discovered the pace of the scooter to be each a blessing and a curse. I forgot that LA climate isn’t at all times “Santa Monica in June”, and I used to be completely freezing in my hoodie – the one garment with lengthy sleeves that I had packed.
Flying quick at 25 mph down vast Costa Mesa roads wasn’t serving to, with that airstream cooling me even additional. I needed to determine between going quicker to get to dinner sooner on the danger of turning into an icicle alongside the way in which or slowing down to chop the windchill. Sadly, the battery was so giant that I couldn’t use the effectivity argument to encourage me to decelerate, so I simply continued bombing it all the way down to the Balboa Peninsula at 25 mph, assembly up with associates to supply freezing chilly handshakes and high-fives. Dinner was nice, however the trip again was even colder. I assumed I would go slower climbing the hills on the way in which again from the coast, however the dang factor zipped up the hills quick sufficient to maintain my fingers feeling like they had been encased in ice. However hey, a minimum of the quick pace meant I may shorten the journey as a lot as doable!
The following day, I scooted to the present within the morning and located that the fairgrounds the place it was hosted had been closed off at most entrances. I assume they do that to restrict how automobiles can enter (and guarantee everybody will get charged to park), however I used to be an elitist with my very own right-sized transportation and never about to let issues like site visitors management cease me!
Some scooting throughout the weeds and carrying the 45 lb (21 kg) scooter over a pair barricades later, I used to be in! I’m not saying you must trip in locations you aren’t allowed, however simply that there’s a bonus to with the ability to take artistic routes when the car you drive weighs as a lot as your leg.
I locked up at a motorbike rack and made it to the present in report time, taking full benefit of the truth that micromobility automobiles usually mean you can chart your personal path.
That was how I acquired round for subsequent two days, placing round 30 miles (50 km) on the scooter. I charged it every night time at my lodge, however I by no means used greater than 30% of the battery, so I’m undecided I actually wanted to cost all of it.
In the end, the VMAX VX2 Excessive scooter proved to be a perfect option to navigate town. I took it on many rides, each for my morning and night commute, in addition to to fulfill up with associates and easily scooting round for pleasure. It at all times provided me greater than I wanted, each by way of energy and vary, and felt snug whereas doing it. The ten″ tubeless pneumatic tires have sufficient squish to provide me some consolation on rougher patches and are giant sufficient diameter to deal with all of the sidewalk cracks and minor potholes I threw at them.
Principally, I used to be fairly darn pleased with it. After all you pay extra for such a well-built scooter from a Swiss firm, to the tune of $899, nevertheless it appears fairly honest to me. It’s an extended vary and extremely highly effective scooter that hides in a surprisingly moveable package deal, straightforward sufficient for me to toss in a car or carry over a sequence barricade. And with the additional options like security lighting with flip indicators, the 1,600W of peak energy, the simply readable 4″ shade TFT display, the weather-sealed drum brakes mixed with electrical motor braking, and the steady folding design, the scooter handled me higher than properly for my three days using it round central and southern LA.
VMAX has different much more reasonably priced fashions ranging from round $400, however I’d say the VX2 Excessive is a superb Goldilocks choice that provides extra energy and vary than most individuals want in a transportable package deal at a good value.
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