The Apollo Pro has come a long way from the one we reviewed in 2020, which was made from off-the-shelf parts. The new Pro V6 is all Apollo: from its futuristic design right down to its thoughtful packaging. And it has more features and tech than its predecessors. It feels like this is where the future of scooters should be headed.
Design
Let’s start with the construction. As I mentioned, this Apollo Pro has no off-the-shelf parts and is a complete redesign from past models. The unibody frame is constructed from a single piece of aerospace-grade aluminum, and while it comes in weighing a hefty 93 pounds, it can support a maximum payload of 330 pounds.
The Apollo Pro V6, securely packed.
The folding mechanism for the scooter is a push-button clamp, which is simple to use and doesn’t wiggle free when riding. The Pro has an adjustable hydraulic front suspension enhanced by a rear rubber block. The scooter has front and rear drum brakes, a thumb-throttle regenerative brake and an accelerator. The deck itself is covered in rubber with nice triangle designs.
Most of the wiring is run internally, except for the two exits connecting to the brake levers. The Pro comes with 12-by-3.5-inch pneumatic, self-healing tires. They’re almost fully covered by front and rear fenders, which is great for keeping you dry on a wet road. Speaking of wet, the Apollo Pro has an IP66 rating, so some rain and splashes are fine.
The motorcyclelike center stand is one of my favorite design touches. I love standing the scooter upright from either side and not worrying about it tipping over.
Features
Dual, 1,200-watt motors power the Apollo Pro V6, and the scooter can reach a top speed of 44 mph. The battery is a 52-volt, 30-amp-hour,1,560-watt-hour Samsung pack with a charge time of six hours. Apollo says the Pro can travel 63 miles on a full charge. This, of course, all depends on rider size, settings and terrain.
When you turn it on, the Apollo Pro V6 looks like a Tron Lightcycle. The scooter is visible from any angle via COB (chip-on-board) LEDs around the Apollo Pro. It also has self-canceling turn signals at the end of the handgrips and via the deck lights. Turn signals aren’t always a given, let alone ones that stop blinking once you make the turn.
There’s a built-in anti-glare display. However, the Pro is meant to be used with a phone, and Apollo includes a mount by Quadlock that also charges via induction. Apollo has one of the best mobile apps for its products, and the latest version is even better. For instance, riders can use the app for turn-by-turn directions, and it’ll record the ride, too.
The scooter has a 10-watt speaker for the electric horn/alarm, and it can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker, which sounds decent. (The Pro also comes with a little physical bell.)
There are some cool light animations and sounds when the scooter is powered off and on and when making a turn. The color of the always-running lights can be customized, or they can just be turned off, along with the power on and off sounds.
The scooter has four speed settings: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Ludo. Each speed is faster than the next, with Ludo being the fastest and most battery-draining. Let’s say you don’t want to kill your battery, but you want to go a little faster than the 28 mph Sport mode is capped at. You can adjust the top speeds up or down for each ride mode from within the Apollo app. This is great if you want to squeeze out more battery life without giving up too much performance.
The signal light in the handlebar. Also, note the space under the display. That’s where the Quadlock mount will go on the public release.
The app can also put the scooter into Park mode. So let’s say you’re at a sidewalk cafe; it can be put into park, which locks the wheels and sounds an alarm if the scooter is tampered with. The light around the scooter’s deck is lit red in this mode, and a P is on the built-in display (by the way, the same red lights also come on when braking). To take it out of this mode, you’ll need your phone, and if you’ve gone out of Bluetooth range, you’ll need to reconnect. You can even select from a siren sound or “Prank.” I got a kick out of the Prank option, which announces, “Theft detected. Auto-destruction in 3,2,1, just kidding, calling the police now.”
For peace of mind, the Apollo Pro has a smart power management feature for people concerned about battery fires. This protects against short circuits, overcurrent, overcharging, temperature resistance and undervoltage auto-sleep. From within the Apollo app, you can even check battery health.
Apollo also offers a premium $10 monthly subscription called Connect Plus. It provides 24/7 (always-on) GPS tracking of your scooter, delivering real-time notifications for any suspicious activity or movement of your scooter. It also adds remote control of the scooter (power on/off and arming/disarming the alarm), flags it as lost/stolen and activates its kill switch.
The mobile app.
Performance
In testing, I rode a couple of 6-mile laps around New York City’s Central Park in Ludo mode, and the battery still had plenty of life left, though I was far from the 63-mile range.
One thing I can’t overemphasize is how smooth the ride is — every aspect was exemplary, from acceleration to bumps to turns to braking. When I needed to slow down, I exclusively used the regen brakes. This was great; no matter how fast I’d go, they’d gently bring the scooter to a halt, with no wheel locking. But when I did need a little added stopping power, I’d use that brake along with the front drum brake.
Takeoffs were great: nothing intimidating, but not underwhelming either. Though I don’t recommend this, it was easy to accelerate using one hand. This is due to the excellent throttle response and zero dead spots. The Apollo Pro ships with its new Mach II controller, which can self-calibrate.
The Apollo Pro V6 along with its mobile companion app.
My daughter and I have taken quite a few scooter rides over my years of testing a variety of scooters, and this was the first scooter that didn’t lack power and also didn’t have her jolting back and forth during takeoff and braking.
I prefer riding in a staggered stance for better balance, but you can get away with side-by-side on the Pro’s wide deck. While riding, it’s easy to be unaware of how fast the scooter’s going until you look at the speedometer. It’s just as smooth at 10 mph as it is at 38. I never felt like I’d lose control, though, whether accelerating, cornering or braking. My girlfriend normally isn’t a scooter fan, but she unknowingly took the Pro up to 40 mph and wasn’t uncomfortable in the least.
The Apollo Pro V6 from the rear.
The Apollo Pro V6 is a well-put-together package with an excellent combination of smooth ride and top-tier build quality. Though I normally prefer the speed of the 126-pound hyper scooter, the Apollo has me wondering if I want to swap the herky-jerky handling for a stress-free ride. The Apollo Pro is no slowpoke, though, and it feels just right. The new Apollo Pro is scooter perfection.
The Apollo Pro is available for preorder for $3,449 and production units are expected to start shipping in December. Preorders are being done through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo (it’s already met the funding goal) as a way to reach a broader audience as well as the company’s fans and supporters. Apollo has confirmed the Pro V6 is already in production and that the company expects to hit the ship date.
Source: CNET
