Straight out of Estonia, tech start-up Äike is previewing its upcoming electric scooter that has a focus on durability and environmental friendliness.
The Äike T is currently available for pre-order (opens in new tab) with a fully refundable €69 (around $70) reservation fee, although at the time of this writing, we saw the price sitting at a discounted €58. The final price starts at €999 (a little over $1,000) and will go up depending on if you add insurance or change the color. Shipping begins in November 2022, but you better act fast because there will only be 500 pre-orders.
We did ask Äike if there are plans to launch their scooter outside of Europe, specifically the United States. They haven’t gotten back to us, but we’ll be sure to update if Äike responds.
Specs and features
Coinciding with the pre-order launch, Äike posted a rather goofy preview video (opens in new tab) starring the company’s CEO, Kristjan Maruste, which hits on the major features. The “über strong” Äike T has a sturdy standing deck that can support up to 150 kg (about 330 lbs) and 10-inch puncture-resistant tires. It has a water resistance rating of IPx5 which means it can survive small blasts of water and go through shallow puddles; just don’t toss it into the ocean.
As for security, the Äike T has theft protection which will lock the brakes, sound an alarm, and send you a notification through the official app (opens in new tab) (available on iOS and Android) alerting you of what just happened. The app can also be used to change scooter configurations. For example, you can control how fast the Äike T can go, enable automatic and regenerative braking (opens in new tab) to recharge the battery a little, or lock the scooter. In addition to tweaking settings, the Äike app also provides customer support and a 24/7 live feed of the scooter's location via GPS.
The 583.2 Wh battery holds the distinction of supporting USB-C cable charging which the company claims is the “first light electric vehicle” to do this. Plus, the battery is removable so you can potentially hook it up to a phone charger while the Äike T stays in your garage. While you ride, you can glance at a small circular display sitting behind the handles showing you a speedometer and the scooter’s battery life.
The Äike T is, at 19 kg (around 40 lbs), a little heavy. The machine is 1149 mm tall (about 45 inches) and 1185 mm long (roughly 46 inches), but the scooter can be folded to easily fit in a car trunk. The battery has a range of up to 40 km (a little under 25 miles) with a max speed of 25 km/h (about 15 mp/h),. However, the top speed is subject to government regulations so it may be slower in certain locations.
Sustainability
Äike also put a lot of thought into the materials used to manufacture its new scooter. According to a recent Bloomberg piece (opens in new tab), 42 percent of the Äike T is made out of recycled material and 92 percent of the machine itself can be recycled. The company boasts the Äike T is easy to repair thanks to its interchangeable parts. That said, it's difficult to know how this claim will hold up outside of Europe without easy access to European manufacturing.
What does go over well internationally is the USB-C cable support. The European Union has been working on establishing a universal charging standard using USB-C as the basis. Apparently, the EU was unhappy with the lack of cooperation between tech giants to establish something, so now they’re taking matters into their own hands. It appears Äike is capitalizing on that.
If you’re interested in buying an electric scooter, TechRadar published a “best of” list back in May.
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