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(Image credit: Lavoie)
(Image credit: Lavoie)
What if anelectric scooterwas designed from the outset to be a premium vehicle, full of innovation and connectivity with performance, safety, reliability and ease-of-use in mind, not just a competitive price?
Priced from £1,890, the Lavoie Series 1 produces up to 900W of power, 30Nm of torque and has a top speed of up to 25 mph, but this can be lowered to comply with differing regional and national regulations. The range varies from 15 to 45 miles depending on the model and which ride mode is used.
It has three ride modes, a magnesium alloy monocoque chassis, an hydraulic disk brake at the front and regenerative braking at the rear, plus waterproofing and a horn. It also has a lot of lighting, including brake lights, headlights and indicators, plus halo lighting on the side and ‘presence lights’ to help boost vehicle and rider visibility at night.
(Image credit: Lavoie)
(Image credit: Lavoie)
There’s Bluetooth for connecting to Lavoie’s smartphone app, and a USB-C port too, plus a global cellular connection and a subscription service that helps locate the scooter if it is lost or stolen. There’s also GPS tracking, password protection and the motor can be locked into position via the phone app. In other words, this is an e-scooter with some serious thought put into it.
Eliott Wertheimer, co-CEO of Lavoie, explained to me how he wanted to build an electric scooter that was a step above anything else, and some distance away from how alternatives are sometimes perceived. “We’ve all been using [scooters] as a kid, but we haven’t really seen our parents on them. We saw our parents on bicycles, so that’s ok, you can go to the office on one of those. But with scooters…they’re perceived as lame, they are seen as uncool”.
Wertheimer also had concerns with the quality and safety of early, low-priced models of e-scooter. “They were very cheap and it was a good way to enter the market, but it’s a bit flimsy. It’s dangerous, honestly. It’s not stable enough…the batteries were not certified properly…So we looked at it and thought ok, we need to help solve that because we’ve now got the brain power, the designers, everyone we need for that.”
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(Image credit: Lavoie)
(Image credit: Lavoie)
Wertheimer says how Lavoie wanted to create a vehicle “you could be proud of…an object of desire, and the way we did that is not only through design, but also through the form factor.”
(Image credit: Lavoie)
(Image credit: Lavoie)
As well as being convenient, the shape of the folding mechanism pushes the front wheel further ahead of the handlebars than on other scooters. This, along with how the handlebars are angled towards the rider instead of directly upwards, and are set far apart, is claimed to improve stability.
I had a quick ride of an early prototype outside Lavoie’s London office and I’m inclined to agree. The Lavoie Series 1 feels bigger than other e-scooters I’ve tried, but considerably more stable too, with intuitive steering that seems to naturally return to the straight-ahead. Lavoie says this means less wobble and smoother riding around obstacles and through city traffic (in countries that allow e-scooters on the road, of course).
Wertheimer said: “The key thing here is that we’re developing a vehicle, so we spent a lot of time developing testing processes that are way above regulatory standards…[we said to ourselves] ‘let’s create a vehicle that will redefine the category’.”
In a move straight out ofApple’s playbook, Wertheimer says how Lavoie is intentionally aiming at the top of the market with a premium product and a price to match. “That’s the thing with the pricing…The whole category is competing at thetoylevel [of around £500 or less] and we come in with avehicle,we still feel our pricing is relatively ok. Because what you’re buying is not a toy, it is actually a vehicle you’re going to use every day. You can trust it to be safe…the price is representative of the quality of the product, and what we’re trying to do is really move the category.”
(Image credit: Lavoie)
(Image credit: Lavoie)
As for expansion beyond the initial Series 1, Lavoie has plans for a range of vehicles. “We will have a line of products,” Wertheimer said, adding: “There will be different kinds of products with different specific use cases, then we’ll upgrade them every time there’s significant technological improvements.”
The scooters will receive improvements via over-the-air firmware upgrades too, with the potential for increasing range with future improvements to motor and battery efficiency.
(Image credit: Lavoie)
(Image credit: Lavoie)
Lavoie has a lot of plans for the future, from expanding its model lineup, upgrading with software and even potentially offering a line of branded accessories and clothing too. But for now it needs to prove there is a solid business model for a premium e-scooter that, for now at least, is priced between £1,890 and £2,190.
There will doubtless be customers willing to pay the premium, like those who buy thebest sound systems, thebiggest televisions, themost powerful laptopand designer cases for theirsmartphone. But it will be interesting to see if such a business can scale enough to be a success, and if legislation – at leasthere in the UK, where it lags behind some other nations – can finally adapt and embrace new forms of urban mobility.
If you want more info on the best model to buy for your needs and the factors to consider, check out ourhow to choose an electric scooterguide. And you’ll want to make sure you’re fully kitted out with thebest electric scooter accessoriesas well.
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