{"id":50510,"date":"2023-05-25T04:06:59","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T08:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=50510"},"modified":"2023-05-25T04:06:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T08:06:59","slug":"aike-t-electric-scooter-tempo-subscription","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=50510","title":{"rendered":"One of the best-designed electric scooters in the world finally comes to the US"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\"aike<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Last summer I had the chance to test out the European designed and manufactured electric scooter \u00c4ike T at its world debut launch.<\/a> As one of the first-ever test riders, I didn\u2019t quite know what to expect. But after checking it out and doing my first few parking lot donuts, I knew this would be something special. Now nearly a year later, the \u00c4ike T is finally coming to the US via a new subscription service known as Tempo.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The \u00c4ike T is one of the first partners of Tempo<\/a>, a new electric mobility subscription platform led by the founder of e-scooter pioneer Scoot, Michael Keating.<\/p>\n

The subscription service is first launching in San Francisco, but the team behind the 20 mph (32 km\/h) \u00c4ike T electric scooter expect to expand further around the US in the coming year.<\/p>\n

As part of the exclusive partnership with Tempo, \u00c4ike customers can subscribe to the company\u2019s award-winning \u00c4ike T scooter on a month-to-month or annual basis.<\/p>\n

\"\u00c4ike<\/figure>\n

When I first covered the scooter, I called it one of the best designed options on the market. And nearly a year later I still stand by that description. The \u00c4ike T is a groundbreaking electric scooter in a number of ways.<\/p>\n

First, it is entirely developed and produced in Europe, bucking the industry trend of relying on Chinese off-the-shelf parts and assembly for nearly all other electric scooters. It is one of the only electric scooters in the world designed and built in-house, and it shows.<\/p>\n

It was also built by the team behind Comodule, the connectivity platform that powers countless electric mobility products from e-bikes like SUPER73s<\/a> to high-end CAKE electric motorcycles.<\/a> That gives the \u00c4ike T industry-leading connectivity for features like GPS tracking for anti-theft as well as telemetrics that communicate between riders\u2019 phones and their scooters. <\/p>\n

The scooter can be locked remotely by the rider and even disabled remotely, removing any resale value in a stolen scooter (and hopefully eventually making the scooters unattractive to thieves once word gets out that they can\u2019t be used or resold).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Riders can also control features like the regenerative braking intensity, which is used to recharge the battery and add more support to the sealed drum brakes. <\/p>\n

Unlike disc brakes that fade when wet, the drum brakes could theoretically work just as well even submerged under water. And thanks to the waterproof design of the scooter, wet riding is entirely possible (though still not all that advisable\u2026 friction being what it is and all).<\/p>\n

The scooter is one of only a handful on the market to include a removable battery, making it possible to swap out batteries to double a rider\u2019s range or simply charge the battery inside while leaving the scooter locked outside or in a garage. <\/p>\n

The 583 Wh battery is rated for around 25 miles (40 km) per charge. While that range isn\u2019t groundbreaking by itself, the removable battery is still a rarity in this industry.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

And speaking of charging, the \u00c4ike T is also the only electric vehicle in the world that can charge from a USB-C laptop charger, making it easy to top up the battery on the go even if riders didn\u2019t bring their charger from home. Nearly any USB-C laptop charger will work, though the higher power 100W models will make the charging process quicker.<\/p>\n

\u00c4ike CEO Kristjan Maruste explained that the US launch will hopefully help push the local e-scooter market forward:<\/p>\n

\n

As we kick off our North American launch in San Francisco, we think consumers will be shocked how different, and how fun, the \u00c4ike T e-scooter is compared to the mass-produced e-scooters currently flooding the U.S. market. With its sleek award winning design, user-friendly features, removable battery, and high customizability, having the \u00c4ike T now available on Tempo is an important stepping stone to converting the U.S. to high-quality electric scooters.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
My first test ride on the \u00c4ike T electric scooter, last year in Tallinn, Estonia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In terms of construction, the \u00c4ike T is built like a tank. Don\u2019t let the elegant-looking single side-supported wheels fool you; the \u00c4ike T is rated for riders weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb.). I could stack five cases of beer on the spacious deck, sit on those to ride it, and still be under the weight limit.<\/p>\n

That would probably work pretty well, too. The deck is designed to be wide enough to accomodate a rider with feet side-by-side, though I\u2019m not sure why anyone would want to ride that way. Perhaps it\u2019s because\u00a0I\u2019m used to riding electric skateboards<\/a>, but having a forward and rearward point of contact on a deck just seems more stable to me so I can shift my weight while braking or accelerating. But if you like to ride your scooter like a bathroom scale, you can do it on the \u00c4ike T.<\/p>\n

The scooter is also designed to handle potholes and rough road conditions that could shake other scooters to bits. The 11-inch wheels with automotive-style tubeless pneumatic tires and rims help to upgrade that durability and longevity. The hub motor is rated at 350W nominal, though puts out 1,000W of peak power. The top speed in the US is limited to 20 mph (32 km\/h). While at the launch, I asked Maruste what the true top speed was if the scooter was unlocked. With a sly smile he replied, \u201cMuch faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t expect that riders will be given that option to unlock the speed, but it shows that the scooter is built to handle much more than its likely use case, meaning riders won\u2019t have to worry about longevity. But of course that\u2019s one of the advantages to subscription services anyway, that riders don\u2019t have to worry about as many of the hassles of conventional ownership. They also get the chance to use higher-quality machines than they might not otherwise be able to afford to buy outright. Subscription prices for the \u00c4ike T start at US $75 per month in the US, compared to the scooter\u2019s purchase price in Europe of between \u20ac1,400 to \u20ac2,000 (US $1,500 to $2,150), depending on the model.<\/p>\n

Keating further expanded on the subscription model:<\/p>\n

\n

At Tempo, we believe we can all have freedom of movement while protecting our communities and our planet. By offering electric bikes and scooters on a subscription basis, we are opening up electric mobility to millions of new riders. To show the world how great this can be, we are launching our service with the world\u2019s best performing, best designed, and most technologically advanced scooter: the \u00c4ike T.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Electrek\u2019s Take<\/h2>\n

The \u00c4ike T is by far one of the nicest electric scooters I\u2019ve ever tested, and seeing the engineering that went into its design makes it that much more beautiful, inside and out. To see it finally come stateside is an exciting day! They\u2019re also just a really fun company that takes a huge amount of pride in their work. They even put their own employees in the marketing images. That\u2019s the CEO in the old-timey bathing suit at the top of this article, and the head of growth in the next two pictures.<\/p>\n

But as nice as the scooter is, the subscription model is a really cool addition to this story since most electric scooter riders aren\u2019t chomping at the bit to lay down nearly two g\u2019s for a scooter.<\/p>\n

Other premium electric scooter models like Unagi<\/a> have found major success with a subscription model, and it certainly makes sense in cities like San Francisco, New York, and other major metropolitan areas where so many trips can easily be completed by a scooter, yet many younger workers are living on tighter budgets stretched even thinner due to high rents and a soaring cost of living.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s to hoping that we\u2019ll see \u00c4ike expand even further around the US soon!<\/p>\n

\n

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.<\/em> More.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Last summer I had the chance to test out the European designed and manufactured electric scooter \u00c4ike T at its world debut launch. As one of the first-ever test riders, I didn\u2019t quite know what to expect. But after checking it out and doing my first few parking lot donuts, I knew this would be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-cars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}