Niu Kqi3 Max
The {Niu} Technologies {KQi3 Max} has the sort of specification profile that would make it the perfect urban commuter scooter — particularly for those who live in a city with some hills. With an astounding weight of 46.5 pounds, the Scooter has sufficient power to take riders through city roads at an incredible speed of 20mph per hour, steep hills, and sharp turns, all in a battery range of 40 miles.
However, the Niu Technologies {KQi3 Max} does not have some essential characteristics that its urban buying audience will desire.
Now that I’ve spent a month with the KQi3 Max, I have to say the Scooter has plenty of pep, punch, and endurance. But again, it lacked stability, safety, and security aspects, as well as the weight and dimensions one would expect to see or get for the $999. Niu has other variations in the KQi3 lineup, with the KQi3 Sport at $699, capable of a top speed of 17.4 mph, and the KQi3 Pro, which is slightly more expensive at $799 and capable of a top speed of 19.9 mph.
Can a Scooter Replace a Car?
Being a transportation journalist for most of my writing career, I have primarily defended the proposition that micromobility will revolutionize how we get from one place to another, especially in cities. Before arriving as an expat in Auckland, New Zealand, I had been searching for a micromobility unicorn where cars rule the road, literally in a forest.
The city is hilly and dispersed, and it offers few bike lanes and often unavailable public transport, so I have become a proud owner of a 2009 Nissan March – Yay, New York City.
E-bikes would be an ideal solution to at least reduce a dependency on a car that seems to be on the brink of some costly fixes. However, the prohibitive prices of e-bikes – mainly because New Zealand sources most of its bikes from overseas –make it a rather tricky business to venture into.
While they are not as helpful as e-bikes for personal transport, in theory, e-scooters could at least get me (and other city dwellers) to and from work or various functions at a cheaper price. And when Niu, which claims to have shipped over 600,000 electric scooters globally, offered to send me a KQi3 because it considered it “the safest electric scooter,” I signed up for the challenge. Can I, someone who does not always feel comfortable on or safe on an e-scooter, switch my car for one in a city such as Auckland?
Nuts and Bolts
The KQi3 Max remains triggered by an electric motor that can deliver 450 watts while backed by a 608kWh battery range, enabling it to travel 40 miles on one charge. It also has dual disc brakes at the frontal and rear end. That combination makes it possible for the Scooter to go as fast as 20 miles per hour, which it readily attains on flat land or when traveling downwards. The powerful motor also means that it can Ascend Hollywoods at more than a crawl –typically at about nine to 14 mph, depending on how steep these are.
The range of the KQi3, which is double that of some of its competitors, is also due to regenerative braking that sends power back to the battery. However, fully recharging will likely take about eight hours when that battery remains drained.
Front and rear LED lights are also available, as are side reflectors and an LED display that displays the riding speed and battery capacity. Also, there is an inviting option of connecting the Scooter to a smartphone through Bluetooth. Unfortunately, the Bluetooth functionality was never implemented, though I tried several (More on this later).
It also folds, which is convenient for those living in an apartment, indicating that Scooter is portable. And therein lies one of the KQi3 Max’s flaws, at least as far as this particular human is concerned.
Not only is the Scooter bulky and weighing 46.5 pounds, but it does not have a handle. In other words, this Scooter will not budge without much effort being put into it, so if you live in an apartment with no elevator or try to take this Scooter on a bus – good luck. For instance, another scooter I’ve tried recently is the Taur, which folds but weighs 38 pounds, is carried by its neck, and is displayed upright when folded.
Technology Misfire
I write for TechCrunch, so I’m not a luddite, and I know how to troubleshoot. But after an hour, I write for TechCrunch, so I’m not a total caveman here and understand how to troubleshoot. Again, after an hour spent looking for relevant Reddit posts, blinding and unbinding the Scooter to the application, erasing the application, and downloading a new one- I decided that I wouldn’t be able to connect the Scooter and the application via Bluetooth.
It meant that there were things I could not try, for instance, locking the Scooter with my phone. Without that, there is no raw method to guarantee that someone on the streets is not pushing the ON button and riding. As for the locking, these vehicles’ shapes are unsuitable for a bike lock situation (but a U-lock could probably remain used), so you want intelligent locking or anti-theft technology.
Without that Bluetooth connection, it becomes useless whenever an alert in Chinese appears. I didn’t feel I was losing many other features with a number pad on my keyboard. Additionally, it shows rider stats, but if I’m not sweating and using the data in addition to my Fitbit. I couldn’t care less about the number of miles ridden.
Users can also use the app to access and switch the four rider modes: E-Save, sport, pedestrian, and custom. Three modes are also available on the Scooter. Custom was only accessible through the app, so that I couldn’t test that mode out.
Most of the time, I drifted into sports because it was the most efficient. There is an E-Save mode which merely allows you to travel up to approximately nine miles per hour. However, that mode is less jerky, and because it keeps the torque in check. The E-Save mode helps extend the battery range. I agree that pedestrian mode was somewhat tricky to locate. Or program since you get there by pressing the ON button five times, a thing I later discovered on Reddit. However, using the app solved this problem completely, and I never needed to use this mode. Its only job is to reduce riders’ speed to walking speed, 5 miles per hour. In case you can’t rely on your ability to respect other pedestrians.
KQi3 Max: Fast and Unstable
However, the most exciting feature of the KQi3 Max is the speed at which it operates. I discovered it took me about the same time to hurry as it would for me to drive. But I had no guilt about being one small person hauling around 2,000 pounds of metal mass.
But for a scooter that is this heavy (about 46.5 lbs — try carrying that up your stairs!!). It did not feel sturdy on the road, even though the footboard is wide. And the headrest is angled at 75 degrees — the theory being that this will provide more stability.
Vibrations of the handlebars: The handlebars shook every time I rode over a bump or an incline. The 9.5-inch tires seemed small for many of Auckland’s sidewalk ramp angles.
The acceleration in Sport mode was maybe excessive; more often than not, it left me a bit off balance. The motorcycle’s front wheel became airborne more often than not whenever I took off.
An equivalent shakiness again arose in braking. I grew familiar with how the KQi3 moved with time. But stability is essential at high speeds, in traffic, or around automobiles.
Perhaps you are reading this and thinking Oh well, she just isn’t confident enough while riding. It’s not the Scooter’s problem. Before everything changed, it barely had a chance to take a foothold in Paris. If so, we share something in common: you and my partner. Therefore, I suggested he drive the Scooter to his workplace and give me feedback.
Much later that morning, he texted, “To be truthful, I now understand why you are worried about safety.” “It’s pretty unstable, even with both hands. And close to impossible to take one hand off to adjust to headphones or pocket, etc”.
I had a similar fear about removing one hand. And the possibility of being unable to wave at the cars behind me. Indicating that I was turning. Some things that would REALLY boost this Scooter (and probably any scooter) are turn signals.
My cyclist and somewhat sure-footed partner also took to the roads the other night. And said braking was ‘very precarious’ because the streets were an ‘a bit wet. He said it was possible to lock the wheels. And start skidding when braking at over fourteen miles per hour.
Perhaps my test was done on a faulty unit, for I’ve come across reports from other riders. Who positively noted the KQi3s’ brakes and its usability in most road conditions.
Final thoughts
My pros and cons for the KQi3 Max are deeply tied to what I — a 31-year-old woman who lives. And works in a sprawling, hilly city and occasionally uses stairs — would be looking for in a scooter.
The first one is about security; at some point, it wasn’t like that with this one. Second, the KQi3 pulled off spectacularly – speed and the smooth ability to maneuver. Third, it is portable and easy to maneuver when going up and down, so the Scooter was lacking. Fourth is an intelligent system that provides a method to lock the Scooter and to secure the Scooter from theft. Although Niu says it offers that, I could not verify that availability.
