Any device or service that gets people out of a fossil-fuel-guzzling, congestion-creating death machine (er, car) is great. But when it comes to e-scooters, I’m a big fan of owning your own, rather than renting one.
If you own your own scooter, you’re more likely to be familiar with its operation. You won't be thrilled by the novelty and accidentally gun it into a busy crosswalk. You might wear a helmet. Most importantly, you won’t store it on the sidewalk in front of someone’s house, prompting an enraged citizen to toss it into a nearby river. Its life span will be much longer than that of a typical rental.
In 2018, Levy Electric debuted its entry-level scooter, which has a replaceable, rechargeable battery that extended the scooter’s usable life. This January, the company unveiled a new version, the Levy Plus. For the past week, I’ve been using it to e-scoot around my neighborhood to go to work, lunch, or volunteer at my kid’s school.
With bigger tires and a bigger battery, the Levy Plus is a good, decently priced compromise between the hulk-like Boosted Rev and the lightweight, tubeless tires of a scooter like the Unagi. It is fair to note, however, that I’ve been using a prototype. The version of the Levy Plus that started shipping to customers since January 2020 does differ from mine in a few ways.
Even taking into account that this is not my first e-scooter rodeo, assembling the Levy Plus is intuitive. I charged the battery, plugged in the LED display, screwed on the handlebars, and clipped the battery on the handlebar stem after it charged. Levy founder and CEO Eric Levenseller assures me that customers are now receiving a scooter that’s even easier to assemble. No longer do you have to thread the brake cable through the hand lever and tighten the brake attachment. The company also sends instructional emails after the scooter’s delivery date is confirmed.
The Levy Plus has a single-hub motor on a folding, matte aluminum alloy frame. It has a hand brake, rear stomp brake, and a kickstand. On the handlebars, you have an LCD display with a throttle, power and function button, and a little bell.
The LCD screen is deceptively simple. When you turn it on, it shows your speed, drive mode (Beginner, Eco, and Sport), battery life, and whether the lights are on. Turn the bright LED headlight and taillights on and off by pressing the function button twice.