Hi, I’m Murray from Scooter Central here in Sydney.
With the Vespa Elettrica not coming to Australia, we have been on the look out for an electric offer that is well branded, well priced and capable of tackling Sydneys hills with ease. Â Well good news, we found it. Â It’s the Segway E300se.
I thought I’d write down a few lines about my first impression of the Segway E300se electric scooter. Keep in mind this is coming from a person who has ridden petrol engine machines for over 40 years and is considered to be one of the harder age group of riders to convert to electric technology. Over the years I’ve ridden hundreds of scooters, so I was interested to see what the latest thinking had to offer.
My first impression of the Segway E300se was that it has a very modern styling that is in keeping with all the technology this scooter is equiped with. I’d carefully read the Segway website specs and was intrigued to see if all the myriad of features were actually functional in the real world.
When I sat on the scooter the for the first time I flicked the up the side stand and moved the scooter and the anti theft function went off, warning of an intruder with sound signals, and the dash and riding lights flashing madly. I quickly realised my mistake and pressed the key fob to ‘unlock’, which put the scooters mind at rest that I wasn’t a thief after all. I took note that the anti theft function does work in the real world and that I was obviously a bit of a muppet when it comes to modern technology.
Once on board I noted that my first concerns were answered. Im 6 feet tall and the cockpit room was generous and allowed for my height comfortably. The scooter turned on with a tap of a button and I was ready to ride. I noted that the dimensions are quite similar to the Vespa Primavera 150 that my wife Sue rides, but the weight (batteries rather than engine in this case), is set lower, making the Segway feel lighter.
My staff had already ridden the E300se and had told me about the riding mode function on the right side switch gear. This button allows the rider to choose from modes 1, 2 and 3. Mode 1 they told me uses less battery power and helps extend battery life, while mode 3 is full power for when you are in a real hurry.
I decided to start in mode 2. I’d ridden electric scooters in the past and had an idea of the power delivery. Electric scooters give you a feeling of instant power and much increased torque. The Segway machine is much the same. I pulled away from my driveway with ease and was soon up to traffic speed with no trouble at all. In fact, I probably had more power than I needed for the suburban back streets, so while I was moving along, I tabbed back to mode 1. This mode was ideal for 50kmph back streets. The pick up is muted but it makes the scooter very ridable. I noticed later that this mode is also perfect for stop start traffic and I really appreciate that Segaway have made it changeable while riding.
As I got out onto the main road I tabbed up to mode 2. This mode had me quickly out accelerating all the cars around me. I was travelling at the posted 70kmph with ease and could overtake without any trouble at all. Â
The acceleration is exceptional on this scooter and I wondered what mode 3 would be like, so I found a place where I could really give it a go.
Mode 3, or as I like to call it ‘hooligan mode’ produces truly eye watering acceleration. I read that Segway claim 0-50kmph in an eye watering 2.9 seconds and I believe it. The thing absolutely rips. The instrumentation even tells you so, by going from a calm blue screen to a frenetic purple screen when you are holding it flat out. Sure, its uses more battery power, but you really don’t care when you get to be first off the traffic lights by some margin, every time.
The mode button had me quite distracted and I had to centre my attention on the other technology and whether it works for a your average rider. The next function I tried was actually by chance. I stopped at some lights on a hill, and after a couple of seconds an ‘H’ icon appeared on the dash and the scooter held itself firm without the use of the brake levers. This ‘Hill Stop’ function is awesome, especially if you are a new rider and intimidated by releasing the brake and increasing throttle on a hill start. It’s an automatic feature, so there is no need to initialise the hill stop technology, the E300se does it for you every time it’s needed.
On my ride I kept a note of the battery life. I’d done 45kms now and it indicated I still had plenty of battery life despite using hooligan mode regularly. My next test was of the cruise control function, which I set going through a school zone at 38kmph. The cruise control button on the left side switch gear was easy to operate and switches off if you touch the brake levers. While I don’t think I’d use this function on every ride, it was a practical and easy to use feature and would save me from shredding my license in a school zone for example.
While on this test ride I popped into the shops for sour dough bread, 2lt milk, a jar of Jamie Olivers pesto and pasta. I was happy to see that my full face helmet fit under the saddle and, once I had that back on my head, the shopping took its place quite easily too. Segway also wisely offer and optional extra rear carry rack and top box if you need any more storage space. I also find the top box a handy feature if you are pillioning as your passenger is securely tucked away between the box and the rider.
Once darkness had set in I went for a run to see the two the LED headlight spread its light. It had a good range and spread of beam. It was now that I realised how much quieter the electric Segway scooter was without any other vehicles on the road. You can still hear the usual wind and tyre noise, but no engine noise pollution at all.
I rode in the wet the following day, and, while I didn’t feel the traction control kick in (anti slip to the rear wheel), it definitely increases rider confidence when the road is wet and you’re riding a torquey scooter like this one. Â
The tyre size is the same as my Vespa GTS 300, so it all felt quite familiar I suppose. I also appreciated the anti lock braking system to the front and rear brakes. It’s this kind of trickle down technology that scooters are now enjoying even on cost effective transport like the E300se.Â
While I rode the basic scooter (even though it didn’t seem that basic to me), I would probably add a few optional extras like the rear rack and top box, along with the red decal kit ( there a 5 colours to choose from. Sue wanted the green). Â
As I was riding in winter, the windscreen option also had quite a lot of appeal as it would cut out much of the wind chill.
The range seemed fine for me, as I didn’t need to recharge until around 90+kms of real world testing and pillioning too. This makes this scooter a great option for riders who do low to medium riding miles like me. Recharging in my garage was simple enough as it’s a standard wall plug, and even though you can buy a third battery (it comes with two as standard), I don’t think I need the extended range it supplies for my regular run to work in Brookvale and back a few times.
STOP THE PRESS! As I’m writing this, I’m realising I didn’t check out the reverse assist mode when I was doing my tests. Maybe there are a few too many features for an old dog like me.
Anyway, if you’d like to vastly reduce your carbon footprint and ride the latest tech in the scooter world, pop in to Scooter Central and our team will gladly set you up for a test ride. Our team will also show you the Segway app and the information it provides when talking to the E300se.
Test rides are great, but with this one be warned, you might just come away wanting one like I did.
Book at Test ride HERE
Murray
Key points for E300se
Intro offer $8990 ride away, but this is set to rise.  Recharge is typically only $1.50-$2.00. Servicing costs are halved, your carbon footprint is dramatically reduced. Noise pollution is reduced. 2 year 10,000km warranty applies. Fewer trips to the servo, but you still need to check your tyre pressures.
