Choosing between control or power, new 40 mph Apollo Phantom e-scooter opts for both
Launched less than two years ago, the original Apollo Phantom electric scooter showcased the company’s first all-original scooter design. It set the stage for a new wave of e-scooters that were no longer just a collection of off-the-shelf parts, but rather a purpose-built commuting machine. Now the company is back with the all new Apollo Phantom 2023, a powerful dual-motor electric scooter that reaches fast top speeds while still focusing on control and comfort as well.
The new Apollo Phantom 2023 electric scooter makes a number of major improvements to the design.
One of the key aspects of the new scooter is that the company didn’t only focus on stuffing in more power and bigger batteries – a hallmark of the electric scooter industry of late – but focused on controllability as well.
And having met several of the Apollo team last year, I can tell you just how serious they are about building ground-up electric scooters that deliver more than just power, but rather actually improve the riding experience as well.
Case in point is the Montreal, Canada-based company’s proprietary Mach 1 electronic speed controller.
As Apollo explained:
The new and improved MACH1 controller generating 25 Amps of power per motor allows for improved top speed and acceleration. The 52V system combined with the efficiency and performance of the MACH1 controller will enable a top speed of 41 mph (66 km/h), previously only attainable by the 60V version. This allows us to bring an equally performing scooter with connected features at a lower price than the Phantom 60V. The next-generation MACH1 controller is proudly designed in Montreal and is exclusive to Apollo.
Reaching that maximum speed of 41 mph (66 km/h) requires putting the scooter in “Ludo Mode,” which unleashes 1,200 watts of power from each of the two motors.
In addition to the new controller, the interface and touch points also get a remake.
A larger throttle paddle makes it easier to operate the scooter, especially while wearing gloves.
The Apollo Phantom 2023 includes powerful regenerative braking that not only helps supplement the scooter’s own front and rear mechanical disc brakes, but also helps dump energy back into the battery. The regenerative braking is activated via a second throttle on the left handlebar, allowing riders to dial in the exact amount of regen they desire. I tested out a similar setup on the company’s smaller Apollo City, and it was a much nicer way to operate the regenerative braking that could nearly replace the need to use mechanical brakes.
The screen is also new, creating a larger visual center for all of the scooter’s important data. The redesigned screen reduces glare thanks to positioning the display panel closer to the protective cover.
The Apollo Phantom 2023 also joins the company’s growing line of smart scooters that integrates with the company’s smartphone app, allowing you to take advantage of increased features such as GPS navigation directly on the handlebars.
LED lighting is found in both the front and rear, though it gets an upgrade up front with new turn signals.
Quadruple spring suspension and 10-inch tires also make the ride better on rough streets.
It’s not just about new controllability and fancy features, though, as the Apollo Phantom 2023 has the speed and power to hang with the big scooters.
In addition to the 40+ mph speeds from the AWD setup, the large 52V 23.4Ah battery offers 1,788 Wh of capacity. That’s enough battery for a range of up to 40 miles (64 km), at least if you’re not trying to do it at top speed all the time.
The 77 lb (35 kg) scooter certainly isn’t light, but it’s built ruggedly enough to support riders up to 300 lb (136 kg).
The scooter is now available to order, priced at US $2,299 in the states or CAD $2,699 north of the border.
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If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine a fruit cart, a cargo bike, and a Piaggio Ape all in one vehicle, now you’ve got your answer. I submit, for your approval, this week’s feature for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column – and it’s a beautiful doozie.
Feast your eyes on this salad slinging, coleslaw cruising, tuber taxiing produce chariot!
I think this electric vegetable trike might finally scratch the itch long felt by many of my readers. It seems every time I cover an electric trike, even the really cool ones, I always get commenters poo-poo-ing it for having two wheels in the rear instead of two wheels in the front. Well, here you go, folks!
Designed with two front wheels for maximum stability, this trike keeps your cucumbers in check through every corner. Because trust me, you don’t want to hit a pothole and suddenly be juggling peaches like you’re in Cirque du Soleil: Farmers Market Edition.
To avoid the extra cost of designing a linked steering system for a pair of front wheels, the engineers who brought this salad shuttle to life simply side-stepped that complexity altogether by steering the entire fixed front end. I’ve got articulating electric tractors that steer like this, and so if it works for a several-ton work machine, it should work for a couple hundred pounds of cargo bike.
Featuring a giant cargo bed up front with four cascading fruit baskets set up for roadside sales, this cargo bike is something of a blank slate. Sure, you could monetize grandma’s vegetable garden, or you could fill it with your own ideas and concoctions. Our exceedingly talented graphics wizard sees it as the perfect coffee and pastry e-bike for my new startup, The Handlebarista, and I’m not one to argue. Basically, the sky is the limit with a blank slate bike like this!
Sure, the quality doesn’t quite match something like a fancy Tern cargo bike. The rim brakes aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring, but at least there are three of them. And if they should all give out, or just not quite slow you down enough to avoid that quickly approaching brick wall, then at least you’ve got a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes as a tasty crumple zone.
The electrical system does seem a bit underpowered. With a 36V battery and a 250W motor, I don’t know if one-third of a horsepower is enough to haul a full load to the local farmer’s market. But I guess if the weight is a bit much for the little motor, you could always do some snacking along the way. On the other hand, all the pictures seem to show a non-electric version. So if this cart is presumably mobile on pedal power alone, then that extra motor assist, however small, is going to feel like a very welcome guest.
The $950 price is presumably for the electric version, since that’s what’s in the title of the listing, though I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. I’ve bought a LOT of stuff on Alibaba, including many electric vehicles, and the too-good-to-be-true price is always exactly that. In my experience, you can multiply the Alibaba price by 3-4x to get the actual landed price for things like these. Even so, $3,000-$4,000 wouldn’t be a terrible price, considering a lot of electric trikes stateside already cost that much and don’t even come with a quad-set of vegetable baskets on board!
I should also put my normal caveat in here about not actually buying one of these. Please, please don’t try to buy one of these awesome cargo e-trikes. This is a silly, tongue-in-cheek weekend column where I scour the ever-entertaining underbelly of China’s massive e-commerce site Alibaba in search of fun, quirky, and just plain awesomely weird electric vehicles. While I’ve successfully bought several fun things on the platform, I’ve also gotten scammed more than once, so this is not for the timid or the tight-budgeted among us.
That isn’t to say that some of my more stubborn readers haven’t followed in my footsteps before, ignoring my advice and setting out on their own wild journey. But please don’t be the one who risks it all and gets nothing in return. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; this is the warning.
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Environment
Podcast: Trump/GOP go after EV/solar, Tesla, Ford, GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
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 Trump’s Big Beautiful bill becoming law and going after EVs and solar, Tesla, Ford, and GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
Today’s episode is brought to you by Bosch Mobility Aftermarket—A global leader and trusted provider of automotive aftermarket parts. To celebrate Amazon Prime Day July 8th through 11th, Bosch Mobility is offering exclusive savings on must-have auto parts and tools. Learn more here.
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:
- Electrek FSGP 2025: New teams, new cars, same solar spirit
- Congress votes to send 2 million US jobs to China, increase deficit, energy costs
- Tesla (TSLA) confirms 384,000 deliveries in Q2 2025, right on expectations
- Tesla prototype sparks speculation: a Model Y, maybe slightly smaller
- Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries
- Tesla unveils its LFP battery factory, claims it’s almost ready
- Here’s why Ford’s electric vehicle sales crashed by nearly a third in Q2
- The Chevy Equinox EV is GM’s breakout star, but that’s not the only surprise
- Xpeng launches G7, a new Tesla Model Y competitor for just $27,000
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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