Apollo’s Ghost E-Scooter Is So Powerful, It’s Scary

My entire body lurched back when I hit the throttle with both motors engaged, so … be gentle! Gaining speed that quickly feels exhilarating but it’s also terrifying. It doesn’t take long to rocket past 30 mph. That might not sound like much if you’re used to going that fast in a car, but when you’re balancing upright on a scooter and all you’ve got for protection is a helmet on your head—let’s just say my heart was racing.

I’m also in New York City. Unless I’m riding over the Williamsburg bridge, I usually had to hit the (effective!) disc brakes every few minutes due to traffic lights, cars, or pedestrians. The opportunities to ride faster than 25 mph are slim. Still, it’s nice having this much power to draw from.

One thing to drill into your head is to never switch between dual to single motor while riding. The company says “it’s like downshifting from sixth gear to first gear in a car, and can lead to a fall or injury due to the heavy deceleration.” Yikes. After I read that, I never pressed any of the buttons until I came to a full stop out of caution.

The orange button next to the red Single/Dual button switches the Ghost between Eco and Turbo mode. The Turbo button just lets the scooter hit top speed on demand. Eco, of course, increases the motors’ efficiency. It makes your rate of travel noticeably slower, but it’s handy if the Ghost is creeping toward a dead battery and you still have a long ride ahead.

Most importantly, whatever the speed, the ride itself is very comfortable. The 10-inch pneumatic tires paired with the dual-spring suspension system make it feel like you’re gliding over most roads, and even pot-hole-ridden streets don’t feel too rough. (I don’t recommend it for off-road use.) It is IP54 water resistant, and that level of protection did the job in light rain as well as slush after it snowed in January, though the fenders didn’t do much to protect my shoes from getting wet and dirty.

The brakes supposedly feature regenerative braking, meaning they’ll recharge the battery as you come to a halt. I didn’t notice any significant battery gains though.

Ghost Rider

Folding up the Ghost at the end of a ride is simple, but not as speedy as I’d like. You need to spend a few seconds twisting a rod between the handlebars to tuck them down, and the clamp at the bottom of the main stem that enables the folding mechanism requires some force to undo. You can bring the stem down and secure it to a hook near the back of the deck to keep it in place. It packs down into a storable size, but it’s still too tall to fit under the couch.

Worse yet, it’s a 64-pound machine! That’s heavier than this folding fat tire electric bike. Don’t expect to easily tote this e-scooter around.