If you're thinking about an alternative mode of transport to your car, the Mi Electric Scooter 3 should be on that list. That's provided you don't live too far away from things and there aren't too many hills involved.
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Design
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Speed
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Stability
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Range
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Features
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Price
We’ve been zooming about on the Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter 3 (XMES 3) for a bit. Even in the cold. And it’s possibly the most fun we’ve had outdoors since we reviewed that longboard last year. Wow, time flies. Or zooms, in this case.
The XMES 3 can be a fun distraction. Or it could be a legitimate form of travel, getting you from point A to B without the hassles cars bring. Like paying for petrol. But only if your travels don’t include many public roads. There aren’t any indicators here. You also miss out on some car benefits, like comfy seats and crumple zones.
Built to last
The XMES 3 is made from aerospace-grade aluminium so it’s a lot lighter than you’d think. When it isn’t underfoot, there’s a nifty kickstand to keep it upright or from rolling away. It also folds down easily. The bell doubles as a latch, keeping it folded when you encounter stairs or need to board a bus.
In the world of electric scooters, this is a budget commuter model. Don’t expect to pop a wheelie on the weekend or win any races. This is reflected in the minimalist design as well. On the handlebars, there’s a small LCD display with an odometer, the drive mode, and how much oomph you’ve got left. Near the right grip is the throttle and on the left is the rear mechanical brake and the bell. There is also a form of Kinetic Energy Recovery System, like F1 cars used to have. This is supposed to use your braking to charge the battery. We didn’t really notice the difference. Perhaps we’re not braking enough.
Road warrior
Out on the road, XMES 3 is best suited for a flat road or pavement. It handles small to medium bumps with no problems. Just remember to bend your knees. For your safety there’s a rear LED warning light that you can toggle on permanently or only when braking. There are large reflectors along both sides and in the front as well. There’s also an LED lamp to light your way in the Eskom-provided darkness.
The 600W peak motor, located in the front wheel, is double the peak output from the Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2 but it’ll still only manage up to 25km/h. That might not sound that fast but take a tumble at that speed and you’ll still end up as a meat crayon. That’s if you’re in ‘Sport’ mode. In Normal mode, you’ll attain 20km/h. In Pedestrian mode that drops to 5km/h. That last is for when you’re around other humans and don’t feel like shouting “Get out my way!” If you do need to shout, you can ring the attached bell instead. It’s very Victorian.
This still counts as an EV, right?
The XMES 3 is rated for 30km on a single charge but that’s being very optimistic, especially if you opt to live life in the fast lane (of Sport mode). Either that or the distance travelled is cut by your average speed. When we dropped below 50% charge, top speed dropped considerably. So did our ability to climb hills. Xiaomi says this will handle 16% inclines. We found that to be mostly true… if you’ve got the charge. For steeper hills, you might need to give it a push, like a skateboard.
The internal 275Wh battery luckily doesn’t take long to charge. Unless you’re charging up from 0%, then it’ll take around five and a half hours. But from around 40 – 50%, you only need an hour or two to top up. And that’s likely how charging will play out. No one pushes their car to the petrol station (if they can help it). The battery also has a smart sleep mode that’ll auto-activate if the charge drops to below 30% and it isn’t used for ten or more days. This is to extend its total lifespan.
The XMES 3, like almost everything else, ships with Bluetooth and needs an app to get it going initially. But that’s even easier than assembly, which is pretty basic. Once you’re all paired up, the app will provide the same info as the onboard screen. But if you hit the meatball menu in the top right, you can toggle a few more settings. Here, you can enable cruise control, how much energy recovery you want, and read some basic info. The app also allows you to lock the motor. This makes it difficult to wheel away. Pity it doesn’t also make it heavier. It also has an alarm (although not a very loud one) and the rear light will flash to alert everyone that your XMES is being nicked. That won’t stop them from just running off with it though.
Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter 3 verdict
If you’re thinking about an alternative mode of transport to your car, the Mi Electric Scooter 3 should be on that list. That’s provided you don’t live too far away from things and there aren’t too many hills involved. It could also be useful for quick trips to the shops but you’ll need to take a backpack along. If you’re wanting to scoot around for the heck of it, the R11,300 price tag might make you think twice. It’ll work fine, as an overpriced toy or as a transportation alternative, but you might also feel the need for more power at some point.
