Is the 40 MPH Apollo Pro Actually Worth $4000?

The new Apollo Pro is one of the coolest new electric scooters of the year, but its price tag has scooter nerds around the world debating: is it worth its $4000 price tag? Find out in this video and check out Rider Guide's in-depth review down below:

[Loqque]

My biggest issue with it is actually not even speed/accel as 44mph is more than enough, but for that price, it really should have bigger battery.

[rumdumpster]

A lot of people are calling this a 4k piece of junk, but here is what you may be missing.

-A great Indiegogo promo for $ off and bonus perks for first 300 backers (still available) for a tool bag, 4 amp charger, and 6 months of sim card theft protection,
-Larger circumference wheels have better high speed and coasting performance. Takes less energy to maintain top speed, will maintain kinetic energy longer than smaller wheels. Cons are more inefficient at constant stop starts, and harder to stop. Adds a pro, more energy gained from regen braking.
-Unique custom built parts that will determine the future of personally owned electric scooters. IP66 rating (wash it with a hose, darude sandstorm proof) will be Apollo's new standard. Which is rare in most high performance scooters. If there is any puddles or rain, you don't wanna risk taking a Segway or Kabo Wolf King out for a ride. Apollo Pro will still get you to work on time! Smooth city cruising will improve.
-Apollo app performance monitoring. The app will know if you need to schedule for maintenance or offer to ship you replacement parts,
-10000km/6200mile performance expectations. Best in class. This scooter will last you the next 5-15 years, with likely the only maintenance being tires treads, motor and battery replacements. Considering a used gas motor vehicle will cost the same, + gas +insurance +oil changes +tire rotations +tire changes seasonally +cleaning and maintenance +etc etc etc... and parts aren't likely to improve from this point either. You may be able to get a higher voltage battery, or higher amperage, or lighter weight, but for the 40-70kmh 30-45mph city demographic that will be taking this scooter home every day, it will be EXTREMELY difficult to improve upon without being EXCESSIVE.
-Designed for city performance. Not too many people are utilizing the full power of a 110kmh/70mph scooter. The battery range isn't good enough, and it isn't as forgiving as a motorcycle with double the size tires. 50 km/h/35 mph is average speed limit on most city roads. Plenty enough power to get you to where you need to go add pass people you need to. Scooters aren't highway material. Stop kidding yourselves with your performance expectations. They are unreasonable.
-Customization. Lock your scooter remotely with the app so it shouldn't be stolen. BRICK IT REMOTELY, aka make it useless, for anyone who does manage to take it despite that feature so they can't sell it. Acceleration and Regen braking power are adjustable. LED lighting is adjustable in brightness and colours. For turn signals, braking, and regular lighting. The PRO is all about being customized electronically, with minimum physical maintenance.

Oh, but the Wolf King GT Kabo goes faster and farther. Its got double the battery voltage and 5 more amps, and 30 more pounds despite the minimal metal rod frame and IPX5 rating. X means undetermined by the way. Segway GT2 is IPX4, but 20 pounds heavier. Depending on where you live, THIS IS HUGE.

Apollo is really risking it all to create the new benchmark for scooter expectations. Sure, I could understand that you don't need the blue tooth speaker and anti theft, the quad lock options, the dual 1200 motors or the mach2 controller that overclocks them to 3k each, or the fancy LED 360 lighting. But the 330lb UNIBODY frame, IP66 rating, regen braking, cruise control and handle bar directionals, DOT display from any angle or brightness, auto intuitive regen braking on handle brakes, customization for gear speeds, customization for acceleration and regen braking strength could be the new industry standard. And they will be set up with one of the best frames, stems, latches, suspensions, and bonus customization parts around for the next couple years. And the company they used to purchase their cookie cutter scooter parts from will be forced to update all of their factory specs to accommodate.

If this Apollo Pro benchmark succeeds, Apollo will be able to make the cheaper versions of this scooter EXTREMELY easily. Where as everyone else will have to adapt.

For example, it's like when small time beer companies in the early 1900s patented a way to can beer. It wasn't successful until the 1930s but it's popularity exploded due to lack of a deposit charge (rip), easier and safer to store and transport, and increased shelf life. It cost big time companies like Pabst and Anheuser-Busch (Labatt) a lot of money to replace their bottling lines with canning machinery.

Performance improvements to be made. Cruise control should have a button press, instead of a set hold throttle time initiation. Directionals should be more similar to a motorcycle, with one finger to press left or right on one side. The brakes seem backwards, with rear wheel on the left handle and front wheel on the right handle. Especially for a Canadian company exporting to the US and Canada for the first batches. Would love to have a handle bar latch to the handle, or the front wheel to the frame, so that you can lift the back of the scooter and drag it around by the front wheel while in unlock mode. Especially useful for communal buildings with elevators, or to pull up a flight of stairs instead of lifting.

[musician]

The first thing you should look at with the scooter isn’t speed or distance, it’s the manufacturer. If you’ve done some googling, you’ll notice apollo has terrible quality control and customer service to match. I really hope they step it up because they have some great ideas but it is NOT worth the hassle until they fix some stuff, trust me.

[maciekpiskorz]

Hey Mitchel, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think you intuitively understood what we were going after here and managed to communicate it very well! A lot of customers are turned off by the price tag - the reality is that quality costs money. There is a simple relationship between the quality of raw materials, motors/batteries/suppliers from renowned manufactures, and the end consumer price point. The Pro, due to its motor size, is also subject to 25% import duties in the US which does not help. That said, the Pro was important for us in two ways - it's by far the most ambitious product we ever launched and it paved the way for the subsequent models we will be releasing (for example, by cracking how to integrate IoT into a scooter). Secondly we are working on building up volume to lower our costs and bring the price down over time. Our goal is to ultimately offer this scooter closer to the $3, 299 price point in about a year from now. Keep up the great work and look forward to involving you in more product discussions in the future!

[AbRob]

nice work Mitchel! Like how you changed your perspective here after riding it for a couple of weeks. Apollo definitely aren't affraid to do things a little differently (ie. the drum brakes), and it sounds like they have really done their homework with this model - following your feedback.

[TheDeekins]

I worry Apollo will poorly support the Pro as they have (in my view) the Phantom, especially since the Pro seems to double-down on things like an app and a monthly subscription. Setting the well-known QC issues with the Phantom aside, I can't help but feel burned that they promised the V3 upgrade kit only to cancel it (for the 60V model). Apollo, in my view, embodies the tech industry maxim "Move fast and break things." Problem with that is when your stem bolt isn't made of strong enough steel, that bolt is what breaks when you move fast. History shows Apollo will abandon the Pro for whatever their next scooter is, as they have abandoned Phantom owners.

[pbugabuga]

I think if you ask a thousand people that have tried the scooter, 900 will agree it's overpriced. I think it should cost the same as a Nami Klima Max.

[geestang]

Have you done a review on a wolf King gt?

[paulsworldph]

For 4k usd you can look at Dualtrons which is built better and with a brand name that is well established

[-joo]

I daily drive a 5000€ scooter, Nami Burn E, 7kw rear wheel drive only with a Nucular 24F controller, and the usual Magura brakes and PMT tires etc, the rear motor is also watersealed and has Ferrofluid and a new temperature sensor inside, its propably already faster than like +95% of dual motor scooters, next year it needs a larger motor and a new battery, i want at least 15kw from the rear wheel...

[michaelkmusicofficial]

I just bought a Nami KLIMA Max. The Pro was the one I really wanted and after being one of the first Adopters of the Phantom V1 Apollo Scooters could not offer me a better deal on the Pro so I went with a new brand.

[OhGawdHesGotAGun]

Makes sense that Apollo used drum brakes, since 99% (in my case, 100%) of braking is done with the Regen system (RBS). Drum brakes aren't aggressive, but they're low maintenance. When you have an IP66 rating, which is fantastic, the focus has to include "keep the moving parts covered". I'm 5'10" & ~200lbs and the RBS, once you learn how to use them correctly, can stop way faster than anything I've used, without locking up the wheels. Yes, a good set of hydraulics is more aggressive if you want to lock the back wheel & skid. There's a lot of competition @ the $4500 (CDN) range - with most of the offerings aimed at either offroad or top speed/aggressiveness & quite dishonest claims of range. The Pro isn't as fast as many in the price range, with the Apollo Phantom about 5 km/h slower & at less than half the price. You're buying a refined, well-tested product that isn't made to basically destroy itself or the rider. Who knows what a software update might bring - they're using 1200W per wheel, you can configure the controller to punch them a lot harder. I'd expect there'll be updates available.
I haven't ridden the Pro yet, I own a '22 Ghost & a '23 Phantom though, so I've had the pleasure of using the RBS.
I think what you're paying for with the Pro is the waterproofing, the 'vehicle-level' quality and what I like best - 12" puncture-resistant, self-healing tires. Changing the tires on an Apollo is a true pain in the arse. The handgrips seem to be the only thing people really dislike about it.
It's not gonna be aggressive enough for some people, it might be a bit overpriced, but its true value hasn't yet been established. Let people put a few thousand km's on these things & I think riders will see some return on their investment - something like this is built to last. Exhaustive testing costs a lot of money. Bet we see cops/mailmen/security guards using these to inspect properties soon, if not already.

[jamesdelap]

Do anyone know anyone who rides a Roadrunner V2 in Nevada. Legally?
Thanks in advance.

[hyperscootershop]

We have Velity new 90 mph scooter.. excellent reviews on this Chanel relaxed and good insights..Well done..

[guyatfood]

I agree with your views, with this being a "premium" scooter. But I probably won't be dropping 4000 dollars for one.

[kingstergaming]

Is it better than Nami Klima or Max 2?

[breakit]

It is super quiet. Looked to have some wobble riding but might be camera view. Too expensive, my Solar P1 was $1000, 1200w front and rear motors, 40mph, 28mph real world range. I do love the ghost and phantom for suspension, looking forward to new Explorer, I almost bought the original rear wheel drive one. Cheers for great honest review.

[kuyajayyoutubechannel]

Can i use bike speedometer for apollo pro?

[simchad]

I would like to see an option for a sear on such scooters.

[BlackgoldTwinduck]

great video!
how do you feel about the suspension