This 24,000-Watt Scooter Is Going for a 100+ MPH Speed Record at Bonneville
A British outfit called Bo makes a sleek little electric scooter called the Model-M. The best variant claims a 22 mph top speed and a 40-mile range for $2,500. Sounds pricey but practical. The prototype Turbo model is another story—it's gunning for triple-digit speeds at the Bonneville salt flats next month.
Bo has been around since 2022, but seems to be on a bit of a marketing blitz—last week, it released a teaser video of somebody clad in full Moto GP-looking garb absolutely ripping through a tunnel on its Turbo model concept, and it seems to be loaning out the more socially acceptable Model M to journalists for test rides. My old buddy Matt Hardigree was recently test-riding one and seemed to dig it.
The Bo website says the company's engineers left Formula 1 to work on scooters 'because we think electric scooters are the most important vehicle innovation of this century.' Bold! I have fond memories of the Bird scooter fad when I lived in LA—I rode one all the way from Culver City to Marina Del Rey one time, it was fun and took about the same time as driving in traffic. But then everyone got sick of them, threw them into the ocean, and I haven't seen them littering the streets of any city in years.
Bo is obviously looking to get away from the disposable vibe, which I appreciate. The Model-M is being framed as an elite alternative to janky Bird and Lime scooters. Though to be honest, it still looks like every other scooter to me, just with one extra layer of aluminum skin to give it a slightly softer Cybertrucky look.
Not hating—I think electric scooters are fun, and $2,500 for an exceptionally well-made one that can go 40 miles doesn't seem too outrageous. But there's no need to go ga-ga over everything that's finished in big planes of plain silver. The Bo Turbo and a regular Model M on the right. Bo
As for the super-fast Turbo models, Wired reported you can buy one for $30,000, but I think you gotta know a guy to get the hook-up—there's no option for it on Bo's consumer site yet. It reportedly produces over 24,000 watts of juice with a high-power dual motor controller setup developed with partner Rage Mechanics, which is a French company making all kinds of high-performance electric microvehicles. This looks way better to me than the Apple/Tesla aesthetic everyone seems to love. That said, I'm still not in the market for a $25,000+ scooter. Rage Mechanics
That sent me down a rabbit hole into the world of electric scooter racing and Rage Mechanics' previous accomplishments. The company already claims a 106+ mph top speed with its RM-X model, a French-made scooter you can buy for about $26,500 that looks far cooler than the Teslaesque Bo in my humble opinion. So I guess that's what the Bo Turbo will have to beat to properly claim its speed record.
Get a load of this madness:
Bo says, 'Over 24,000W delivers blistering acceleration, advanced traction control adjusts the balance of power to the wheel with most grip, resulting in maximum thrust.' But I think the main thing Bo is trying to show off is its stability assistance tech called Safesteer. That's the brand's stabilization system that supposedly counteracts rider twitchiness. Top Gear reviewed one of these in 2023 and described it as 'torsion springs to stabilise the steering and reduce twitchiness and kickback.'
Safesteer is on the regular Bo scooters—the Hope V4 disc brakes and floating rotors of the Turbo model are not. Nor is the extreme power output or ram-air intake for cooling Bo
As a technology showcase stunt, this is a neat idea, and I wish their test pilot all the luck getting this thing to triple digits and back to a stop safely. Couldn't be me—I'm happy with neighborhood bicycle speeds on anything with wheels smaller than my face.
If you're suddenly finding yourself wondering what kind of performance you could get on a cheaper e-scooter, there's plenty more room in this rabbit hole. Jump in, I already found one on Amazon that claims it'll do 50 mph for $1,500.
Ridden or created any extreme tiny-wheeled machine? I want to hear about it! Drop me a note at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Innovative new road feature to be expanded after 'successful' Aussie trial
More roads in Australia's most populous state will soon glow in the dark after a trial of the "innovative" new line markings was deemed a success. The photoluminescent markings were initially trialled on a 200-metre stretch of a notoriously dangerous New South Wales highway in an attempt to increase driver safety and help motorists "better see line markings" on roads with low visibility. The feature — which absorbs and stores sunlight during the day and glows at night — was installed in December at the Bulli Pass in Bulli, south of Sydney. The area was chosen after 125 near-accidents were recorded in a 12-month period. Bulli Pass is heavily used by large trucks and motorcycles, and the new line markings were installed "partway down the steep descent to increase awareness" of the sharp bend. Six months on, Transport for NSW confirmed to Yahoo News that additional sites are now being reviewed based on "early success", with a 67 per cent drop in nighttime near misses. What is the purpose of 'glow roads'? A Transport for NSW spokesperson explained to Yahoo News the purpose of the technology is to "improve road safety at night and in poor weather by helping make line markings stand out. They offer an extra safety option where street lighting may not be practical." "The benefit of the glow was greatest in improving visibility beyond the range of vehicle headlights —increasing the visibility of the lines on the bend to just below daylight detectability when the glow was fully charged," they said. Community feedback revealed 83 per cent of drivers surveyed said the glow provided "increased peace of mind" when navigating the treacherous bend. 'Amazing' feature could take over roads, footpaths and airports Pioneers of a similar road technology previously told Yahoo News that glow-in-the-dark road markings could be one of the many tools utilised by authorities to help achieve the ambitious goal of achieving zero deaths and serious injuries by 2050. And not only can it be used for drivers on roads, it can even be expanded to footpaths, bike paths, helicopter landing pads and air strips in a bid to improve visibility and safety. Clive Todd, founder of Lihten, previously told Yahoo News he'd like to see innovative glow paint used "anywhere and everywhere" it could improve safety. "I want it to be in the key places which would help save lives," he said. "It's environmentally friendly, it saves electricity and it could save people's lives," he said. A similar trial was conducted in Victoria in 2022, with the line markings added to a 1km section of Metong Road in the state's southeast. But back in July of this year, a VicRoads spokesperson told Yahoo the experiment was discontinued. They said an independent evaluation conducted once the trial had concluded determined there was insufficient road safety benefits to justify adding more of the fluro lines to the state's roads, effectively axing any hope of the $4 million scheme being rolled out further. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Motor 1
4 hours ago
- Motor 1
‘That's Definitely One Way to Do It:' Woman Says She Cried at the Mazda Dealership. Then They Gave Her the Price She Wanted
Is the trick to getting a good deal on a new car simply turning on the waterworks? One woman thinks so. The woman says she sat at the Mazda dealership and cried until she got the price she wanted. Other women in the comments say this trick works every time. TikTok user Janessa ( @nessitabonita ) went into the Mazda dealership on July 30 with a price in mind for a new Mazda CX-90. Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . She says she got her dream price point—after shedding an undetermined amount of tears. 'Sat here and cried until they gave me the price I wanted,' she writes in the on-screen text. The caption reads, 'No, we both uncomfortable.' 'Four Salesmen Came Out' In the comments, viewers weighed in on Janessa's car-buying strategy. More than one woman said it's worked for them in the past. Trending Now 'Is it Actually Necessary to Buy a $30 Gas Can?': Woman Uses Hawaiian Punch Bottle as Gas Can. Is that OK? 'Extremely Unscientific Process:' Texas Woman's White Toyota 4Runner Gets Stolen. Then She Goes Looking for It One woman said, 'I was pregnant and fell in love with a car. I left and sat in my car and cried. Four salesmen came out and escorted me to a nicer office and gave me my car with the price I wanted. No down payment. And a rebate.' Another woman wrote, 'I was negotiating for like three hours. I was the last person in the building. The manager finally said, 'You remind me of my daughter. Go pick a car. Whichever one you want, I'll give it to you for your price point.' I kept almost crying and he was tired of watching me.' Others shared their own strategies. 'One time I went an hour before close on a Saturday and let my two boys out of their stroller,' wrote one woman. 'Never had a faster or better deal.' Even the Mazda USA account joined the fun. 'That's definitely one way to do it,' it commented on Janessa's post. The Mazda CX-90 starts at an MSRP of $38,045, but with upgrades can reach $57,245. In our review of the CX-90 , we praised its excellent powertrain and great handling, but criticized its harsh ride and lack of interior space. The Car-Buying Process as a Woman Do women really need only start crying to get the best deal on a new car? The reality is much more complicated. According to the Kruise Control blog, women buy a majority of all cars sold in the United States, and influence an even greater proportion of car-buying decisions. Unfortunately, women also more often face more aggressive sales tactics when they go to buy a car. This can be attributed to a number of factors, including sexist stereotypes, a lack of female salespeople at dealerships, and even cultural biases. And the results are that women pay more on average, anywhere from 1% to an eye-popping 39%. When women do their homework and become active participants in the car-buying process, that disadvantage melts away. told NPR in 2012 that women ask questions more thoroughly than men, and they do more research in advance. One analyst told the outlet that women sometimes overcompensate because of how they've been treated in dealerships by men. Motor1 reached out to Janessa via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll update this if she responds. More From Motor1 The 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Is All About Give And Take The Mazda CX-70 Will Get The CX-90's Engines The 2025 Mazda CX-70 Doesn't Cost Any Less Than The CX-90 After Delays, Mazda Will Finally Show Us The CX-70 On January 30 Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
UK lenders face $12 bn plus compensation bill despite court ruling: watchdog
British finance firms behind high interest car loans could have to pay out more than nine billion pounds ($12 billion) in compensation despite the country's highest court ruling that most of the controversial deals were lawful, a financial watchdog said Sunday. The Supreme Court on Friday partially overturned judgments that the loans were unlawful, giving relief to banks which had been bracing for compensation claims from millions of car-buyers. It did, however, uphold one of the three cases, which allows the claimant to seek compensation. And in a similar but separate probe, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that the cost of any redress scheme relating to discretionary commission arrangements for car loans would likely be higher than £9 billion. "While there are plausible scenarios which underpin estimates of a total cost as high as £18 billion, we do not consider those scenarios to be the most likely and analyst estimates in the midpoint of this range are more plausible," the FCA said in a statement. The FCA estimates that most individuals will probably receive less than £950 in compensation. The court ruling had given the FCA "clarity... because we have been looking at what is unfair and, prior to this judgment, there were different interpretations of the law coming from different courts," it said. "It is clear that some firms have broken the law and our rules. It's fair for their customers to be compensated," said Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA. The Supreme Court decision mostly overturned Court of Appeal rulings last year that it was unlawful for car dealers to receive a commission on loans without sufficiently informing borrowers. In some cases, the loans -- available from 2007 -- allowed car dealers to offer higher interest rates in return for a bigger commission from banks. The ruling means that dealers have some leeway when arranging loans, without requiring explicit consent from borrowers for terms that may benefit lenders. The case that was upheld involved Marcus Johnson, who in 2017 bought a Suzuki Swift from a car dealer in Cardiff for £6,500 including loan costs -- unaware that interest on the loan amount would fund a commission of more than £1,600. When the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Johnson, ordering FirstRand Bank, a South African based lender, to refund the commission plus interest, it sparked panic across the finance sector. That ruling was upheld by the top court due to the high level of commission Johnson was charged and the complexity of the contract setting out the fee, which limits the scope of other compensation claims. HSBC bank analysts had suggested before the trial that the total cost to the banking sector could have reached £44 billion. jwp/tw/gv Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
