I often find myself disappointed with a significant number of electric kick scooters that I test. Many of them fail to meet my range requirements. As someone who frequently commutes from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn to lower Manhattan—a distance of around 15 miles—I prefer using a scooter over the subway, especially during the summer. However, I can’t always be certain that my scooter will have enough battery power to get me home.
But there’s one electric scooter that has never let me down when it comes to range—the Apollo Phantom V3. I once rode it in one go from my home in Brooklyn all the way to Fort Lee, New Jersey, covering a distance of 22 miles, and the Phantom still had 43 percent of battery power left. It took me about an hour and a half, and I must say, it’s the ultimate commuter scooter.
However, it’s worth noting that the range of an electric scooter isn’t solely determined by the size of its battery. Various factors come into play, such as the weight of the rider. As a 6’4″ man weighing 240 pounds, I may experience a slightly lower range compared to individuals of smaller stature. Consequently, people like me need a scooter that can support additional weight without compromising its range.
Fortunately, the Phantom V3 is designed to accommodate up to 300 pounds and can handle even the steepest slopes, such as those on the George Washington Bridge’s bike path. The trade-off for this impressive range, however, is the weight of the scooter itself. Unfortunately, the Phantom weighs a staggering 77 pounds.
While I can carry it, it’s not an easy task. I strongly believe that Apollo should consider making foldable handlebars, as they always seem to hit the walls in my narrow stairwell or get caught in the rails. This becomes particularly challenging when you’re dealing with such a heavy scooter. On the bright side, the stem is narrow enough to be comfortably held, and the additional handle at the end of the deck is a nice touch. In fact, I find the Phantom V3 easier to carry compared to some lighter scooters with excessively thick stems that end up hurting my hands.
Although it’s a bit of a challenge to extract the Phantom V3 from its large packaging upon delivery, the setup process is relatively straightforward. However, mounting the handlebars is slightly more involved, requiring additional screws and parts compared to other scooters. Interestingly, I noticed that none of the wires around the handlebars were initially plugged into each other, and this crucial step was not mentioned in the instructions. After a few minutes of confusion, I finally figured it out and plugged everything in, but it’s rather odd that this important detail was overlooked in the manual.
As is customary with most scooters these days, you can pair the Phantom V3 with Apollo’s companion app, available on both iOS and Android. Thankfully, my experience with this app has been much more stable compared to previous encounters with other Apollo scooters. The connection is quick, and the app provides valuable insights about your scooter’s ride information, including the odometer. Moreover, the app allows you to adjust various settings, such as speed, acceleration, and even the level of the regenerative brake. Using the regen brake thumb throttle instead of the standard disc brakes enables you to generate a modest amount of charge. Perhaps my only criticism is that for a scooter in this price range, hydraulic brakes would have been preferable over disc brakes. Nevertheless, I seldom had to rely on the brakes, as the regen brake proved more than capable of bringing me to a quick halt.
All in all, the Apollo Phantom V3 is a reliable scooter with an impressive range, perfectly suited for daily commuting. Despite its weight, which can be a drawback during transportation, the scooter’s overall performance and the convenient companion app make up for any minor inconveniences. If you’re seeking a scooter that provides excellent range and can handle additional weight, the Phantom V3 is definitely worth considering.
