Segway-Ninebot's new e-scooter automatically adjusts your speed
Segway-Ninebot keeps changing how you scoot.
The robotics transportation company's latest electric kick scooter features a "smart" system that can detect if there's rough road ahead and adjust your speed accordingly.
Debuting at the CES tech show next week is the Kickscooter Air T15 with a "Smart Kick System." This is a lightweight commuter scooter that you can kick off the ground and start riding straight away with a battery-powered boost.
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Instead of using a throttle or button on the scooter to speed up the electric motor, the scooter adjusts your pace for you. Sensors calculate how fast you should go to keep a steady, consistent pace that will work with the road conditions and up to a 15 percent incline. Each time you kick off the ground, the scooter speeds up. Press on the brake to slow down and the speed will auto-adjust to a slower pace.
Another cool feature: one-button folding. In seven seconds, the scooter folds into itself. The sleek, simple design features few knobs and controls so there's less to deal with on the scooter body.
The scooter is only 22 pounds, which is about half the weight of most rentable scooters, so you're encouraged to bring it up to your office or take it on the train or bus, however you commute.
The scooter is truly meant for city streets, with a max speed of 12.4 mph and only 9.32 miles per battery charge. But, hey, you don't have to adjust the speed, so the low range is worth it. Right? This is the same company that has plans to autonomously drive scooters to charging stations. No human rider needed. It'll sell for $700.
Segway-Ninebot is also unveiling the S-Pod seated scooter concept that self-balances in controlled environments like airports, amusement parks, and malls. This is not meant for city riding (and it's also just an idea). It can go up to 24 mph, so it's a faster electric vehicle like other e-mopeds that'll be at CES.
Except it looks like a La-Z-Boy chair with wheels instead of a lightweight motorcycle. Hey, at least it's functional!
UPDATE: Jan. 3, 2020, 10:59 a.m. PST The price of the Kickscooter Air T15 is $700, as noted above.
Topics CES Electric Vehicles
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
