A 30 mph full-suspension electric scooter that looks striking and rides great: Kugoo Kirin G3 review
There are so many electric scooters these days that it’s becoming hard to keep them straight, so let’s complicate things even more by throwing another one into the mix! It’s time to take a deep dive into the Kugoo Kirin G3 electric scooter and see how it stacks up against the rest of the market.
Kugoo Kirin G3 tech specs
- Motor: 1,200W rear hub motor
- Battery: 52V 18Ah (936 Wh)
- Top speed: 31 mph (50 km/h)
- Range: up to 40 miles (64 km)
- Weight: 56 lb (25 kg)
- Load capacity: 265 lb (120 kg)
- Suspension: Front and rear spring suspension
- Brakes: Front and rear disc brakes, rear motor braking
- Extras: Front and rear LED lights, LCD touchscreen display, right thumb throttle, odometer, rear kick plate, sturdy folding bolt to lock out folding, kickstand
- Price: $1,099
Kugoo Kirin G3 video review
To see the Kugoo Kirin G3 electric scooter in action, take a look at my video review below!
How fast can it go?
The Kugoo Kirin G3 is a fast electric scooter, reaching 31 mph (50 km/h) at full bore.
I did find though that when the battery was partially depleted, I sometimes struggled to hit 29 or 30 mph. Even so, it still felt quite fast at those speeds.
You can put the scooter in lower power modes that limit the speed, but I mostly kept it in the highest power mode. You can always limit your own speed by using less throttle, so I imagine that you’ll likely use the highest power level, too.
The only time I can think of that it would be helpful to use a lower power mode is either in the rain when you want to be extra careful, or when letting a novice friend borrow the scooter for a test ride.
How far can it go?
The Kugoo Kirin G3 is rated with a maximum range of up to 40 miles (64 km), thanks to the large 52V and 18Ah lithium-ion battery housed in the deck.
The thing about that range, though, is that you’ll likely only see a true 40 miles if you’re riding much slower.
If you’re like me and hitting the top speed on every straightaway that can allow it, you’ll never see a true 40 miles of range.
But if you can average closer to 20 mph, you might actually get close to that 40 mile figure.
What about the components?
The scooter itself actually feels quite well made. You don’t get some of the nicer parts like hydraulic disc brakes, but the mechanical disc brakes still feel plenty punchy. They bite down hard and give good stopping power.
The full-suspension absolutely makes for a better ride, and I even had a blast going off-road with the scooter.
The screen on the Kugoo Kirin G3 is large and easily readable, though I’m not sure I like the idea of a touchscreen. There’s a reason that most electric scooters have physical buttons near the handlebar ends – it’s so you can easily access the inputs without taking your hands off the bars.
With the touchscreen, you have to basically let go of one bar end if you want to play with the controls in motion. It’s also hard to hit the button accurately when the scooter is bouncing around since there’s no physical button to feel for. You’re just stabbing at a moving screen, which feels like a serious miss to me.
Other than that, though, the main build quality and component choice decisions seem on point. I even like the bicycle bell included in the brake lever and the smattering of LED lights spread around the scooter to keep it visible at night.
Can it fold easily?
The folding mechanism is quite robust, which is critical in a fast electric scooter that will surely see some serious jarring around at high speeds.
There’s a massive bolt in the front end that is screwed through the stem, which also does double duty as a reflector. It’s there to lock the scooter in the upright, unfolded position. The only way for the scooter to fold on you while riding is to somehow break through a 1/4″ steel bolt – good luck with that.
The downside is that it takes much longer to fold this scooter than almost any other electric scooter I’ve tested, but if I had to choose between fast folding and secure folding, I’ll take the latter every time.
The only other odd thing about the folding is the way it locks in the down position. There’s an orange strap that loops around the rear kick plate. It works fine, but it doesn’t feel like the most elegant solution. It also means that the strap flaps around while you’re riding, as you can see in my video at the top of this article.
Maybe having a waving orange flag is a safety feature, not a bug. It’s all a matter of perspective!
Sum it all up for me!
All told, I’d say the Kugoo Kirin G3 is actually quite nice to ride. For its $1,099 price, it feels like a fair deal.
The scooter is fast, powerful, and comfortable to ride, even at high speeds.
It handles nicely and has a sturdy design. I even like the orange on black color scheme that continues right through to the orange flapping strap.
For a quick and powerful scooter, it gets the job done and looks pretty darn good while doing it.
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Wind energy powered 20% of all electricity consumed in Europe (19% in the EU) in 2024, and the EU has set a goal to grow this share to 34% by 2030 and more than 50% by 2050.
To stay on track, the EU needs to install 30 GW of new wind farms annually, but it only managed 13 GW in 2024 – 11.4 GW onshore and 1.4 GW offshore. This is what’s holding the EU back from achieving its wind growth goals.
Three big problems holding Europe’s wind power back
Europe’s wind power growth is stalling for three key reasons:
Permitting delays. Many governments haven’t implemented the EU’s new permitting rules, making it harder for projects to move forward.
Grid connection bottlenecks. Over 500 GW(!) of potential wind capacity is stuck in grid connection queues.
Slow electrification. Europe’s economy isn’t electrifying fast enough to drive demand for more renewable energy.
Brussels-based trade association WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson summed it up: “The EU must urgently tackle all three problems. More wind means cheaper power, which means increased competitiveness.”
Permitting: Germany sets the standard
Permitting remains a massive roadblock, despite new EU rules aimed at streamlining the process. In fact, the situation worsened in 2024 in many countries. The bright spot? Germany. By embracing the EU’s permitting rules — with measures like binding deadlines and treating wind energy as a public interest priority — Germany approved a record 15 GW of new onshore wind in 2024. That’s seven times more than five years ago.
If other governments follow Germany’s lead, Europe could unlock the full potential of wind energy and bolster energy security.
Grid connections: a growing crisis
Access to the electricity grid is now the biggest obstacle to deploying wind energy. And it’s not just about long queues — Europe’s grid infrastructure isn’t expanding fast enough to keep up with demand. A glaring example is Germany’s 900-megawatt (MW) Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm. The turbines are ready to go, but the grid connection won’t be in place until 2026.
This issue isn’t isolated. Governments need to accelerate grid expansion if they’re serious about meeting renewable energy targets.
Electrification: falling behind
Wind energy’s growth is also tied to how quickly Europe electrifies its economy. Right now, electricity accounts for just 23% of the EU’s total energy consumption. That needs to jump to 61% by 2050 to align with climate goals. However, electrification efforts in key sectors like transportation, heating, and industry are moving too slowly.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has tasked Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen with crafting an Electrification Action Plan. That can’t come soon enough.
More wind farms awarded, but challenges persist
On a positive note, governments across Europe awarded a record 37 GW of new wind capacity (29 GW in the EU) in 2024. But without faster permitting, better grid connections, and increased electrification, these awards won’t translate into the clean energy-producing wind farms Europe desperately needs.
Investments and corporate interest
Investments in wind energy totaled €31 billion in 2024, financing 19 GW of new capacity. While onshore wind investments remained strong at €24 billion, offshore wind funding saw a dip. Final investment decisions for offshore projects remain challenging due to slow permitting and grid delays.
Corporate consumers continue to show strong interest in wind energy. Half of all electricity contracted under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in 2024 was wind. Dedicated wind PPAs were 4 GW out of a total of 12 GW of renewable PPAs.
Read more: Renewables could meet almost half of global electricity demand by 2030 – IEA
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the official unveiling of the new Tesla Model Y, Mazda 6e, Aptera solar car production-intent, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):
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The Chinese EV leader is launching a new flagship electric sedan. BYD’s new Han L EV leaked in China on Friday, revealing a potential Tesla Model S Plaid challenger.
What we know about the BYD Han L EV so far
We knew it was coming soon after BYD teased the Han L on social media a few days ago. Now, we are learning more about what to expect.
BYD’s new electric sedan appeared in China’s latest Ministry of Industry and Information Tech (MIIT) filing, a catalog of new vehicles that will soon be sold.
The filing revealed four versions, including two EV and two PHEV models. The Han L EV will be available in single- and dual-motor configurations. With a peak power of 580 kW (777 hp), the single-motor model packs more power than expected.
BYD’s dual-motor Han L gains an additional 230 kW (308 hp) front-mounted motor. As CnEVPost pointed out, the vehicle’s back has a “2.7S” badge, which suggests a 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) sprint time of just 2.7 seconds.
To put that into perspective, the Tesla Model S Plaid can accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 2.1 seconds. In China, the Model S Plaid starts at RBM 814,900, or over $110,000. Speaking of Tesla, the EV leader just unveiled its highly anticipated Model Y “Juniper” refresh in China on Thursday. It starts at RMB 263,500 ($36,000).
BYD already sells the Han EV in China, starting at around RMB 200,000. However, the single front motor, with a peak power of 180 kW, is much less potent than the “L” model. The Han EV can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
At 5,050 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,505 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,970 mm, BYD’s new Han L is roughly the size of the Model Y (4,970 mm long, 1,964 mm wide, 1,445 mm tall, wheelbase of 2,960 mm).
Other than that it will use a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack from BYD’s FinDreams unit, no other battery specs were revealed. Check back soon for the full rundown.
Source: CnEVPost, China MIIT
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