Apollo Explore Review

These days, scooters are widely used as a means of an easy and fun commute. It’s incredibly joyful to just roam around the city on an e-scooter. However, when thinking of buying a scooter or even upgrading to a newer one, many questions pop up in our heads. For example, how can I choose an electric scooter? Or, what are the features I should evaluate? And so many others. 

Not long ago, Apollo scooters were established in the market as powerful, self-branded scooters. You’ve probably come across the Apollo Explore scooter.  

If this is the case, we’re here to help you! Continue reading to see our Apollo Explore scooter review. 

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Apollo Explore Review: At a Glance 

The Apollo Explore scooter has a powerful 1000-watt electric motor. It has a range of 45.2 km and an outstanding acceleration that reaches 40 kmh in 9.6 seconds. Besides its impressive power, it’s designed in a way that ensures the rider’s safety.

Thanks to its pneumatic tires, trigger-style throttle handlebars, non-slippery deck, sufficient lights, and good build quality, the Explore has become one of the best-selling e-scooters out there. In addition, it has a long-lasting 2-year warranty that guarantees its resistance to wear and tear. 

Pros: 

  • Foldable 
  • 2-year warranty
  • Sufficient lights for night-time rides
  • Telescopic stem that goes up and down, depending on rider’s height
  • Can withstand heavy weight

Cons:

  • Not easy to lift
  • Handlebars get loose during long rides
  • Trigger-style throttle causes hand stiffness

Build Quality

The overall build of this scooter is great. It’s very durable and long-lasting and can take in hectic rides without showing any signs of damage. Although it’s powerful and relatively large, it moves with ease and smoothness and has a quiet sound. 

However, it’s not waterproof and can be damaged with prolonged exposure to water. Its IP rating is IP-54, meaning it’s able to endure small amounts of water, such as light rain. But that’s not much of a problem since you can still park it in dry areas and avoid riding during heavy rain, which you’ll probably do anyway.

Tires

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The Explore has large-width, pneumatic tires. This large width renders the scooter self-stabilizing, meaning they maintain traction during braking and turning. Moreover, these air-filled tires perform better on wet roads, compared to solid rubber ones which tend to be more slippery.  

The 10-inch width tires of this e-scooter allow it to withstand bumps, resulting in a more comfortable ride.

However, these tires have inner tubes that make them more prone to getting punctured and can also easily get flats. To prevent this from happening, we suggest using sealant on your tires. 

Handlebars

The handlebar on the Explore utilizes two brake levers and a trigger-style throttle, which is commonly used in performance scooters. The throttle is the part of the scooter that’s responsible for its speed during the ride, as it communicates to the speed controller how much power is needed to accelerate. 

It’s good news because trigger-style throttles have the benefit of being super easy to replace. Also, the one on the Explore’s QS-S4 trigger-throttle has a built-in LCD that displays battery level, speed, riding mode, and odometer.

Moreover, it allows you to track the distance traveled and adjust the settings, such as the acceleration strength and the braking system strength.

However, we found that the hand grip of the trigger-throttle was very uncomfy and can make your hands stiff during long rides, compared to that of the thumb-throttle used in entry-level scooters. 

Another handy feature is that the handlebars of the Explore are foldable, and use a screw-type mechanism. This mechanism makes the scooter safe because the handlebars are firmly secured in place, without the slightest hint of feeling jiggly. 

However, it does need to be retightened during long rides. Even though this can be annoying for riders, it still doesn’t affect the safe nature of the handlebars. 

Deck

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This scooter’s deck has a width of 9 inches, and a length of 21 inches, which is considered a large space in comparison to other scooters. And since it’s taped with grip tape, it’s non-slippery and provides a good grip wherever you stand on it.

Also, the deck-to-handlebar height can be telescoped up and down, depending on the rider’s height, which is a big advantage if your height is above or below average.

Lights

The Apollo Explore has enough light capacity for riding at night. Since late-night riding is all about being seen by other car drivers, this scooter is considered safe for that purpose. It has several headlights and taillights, stem lighting, and underdeck lighting. That being said, it’s pretty unlikely that you’d be invisible to other drivers on the road. 

So, if you’d like to have a late-night scooter ride, you can go ahead with this scooter!

Battery 

The Explore’s battery is relatively larger than that of other typical e-scooters. It has a wonderful capacity that’s sufficient enough for over 30 miles of 50 km of range. 

Moreover, if you often forget to charge your e-scooter, this is the one for you. Since it’s got a high-capacity battery, you won’t need to charge it more than once or twice a week. However, it depends on how often you use it and how long the distances you travel are. 

Portability

These scooters can easily be folded and taken anywhere. However, since it weighs 24 kgs, it’s not easy to lift. But, the folding mechanism is simple and easy to learn, and it takes a few seconds to be all set. Once folded, it takes up much less space and becomes a lot easier to lift. 

Performance

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The Apollo Explore is a high-performance and safe e-scooter. Its acceleration is superb, it can reach 40 kmh in 9.6 seconds, with a top speed that reaches up to 48.1 kmh, based on real-world tests. That being said, the Explore is considered a fast scooter. It also has a 45.2 Km of range, which is relatively very good.

When it comes to hill climbing, we found that the Explore performs well despite being a single-motor scooter. However, it is not meant for climbing steep inclines. So, if you need to climb steep hills regularly, this single-motor scooter will not be your best option. 

Brakes 

The Apollo Explore scooter has 2 disc brakes and 1 regenerative motor brake. And, as we just mentioned above, you can control the strength of the brakes in the settings. 

For a scooter with such power and capacity, the brakes should be reliable to immediately reduce the speed once pressed. Thankfully, the Explore’s braking system ensures just that. 

Warranty 

The Apollo Explore offers a long-term 2-year warranty. The warranty covers parts such as the fenders, brakes, inner tubes, and tires. While these parts are free of charge, they still charge the customers for the shipping cost. However, if broken braking pads or flat tires are reported during the first 30 days or the first 10 km of distance traveled, the shipping cost is removed. 

Customers are only allowed:

  • 2 inner tubes and tires per month
  • 2 brake pad sets every 500 km

Only the original purchasing customer is eligible for the 2-year warranty, and it can’t be transferred from one customer to another after being resold.

For more information, you can read the full warranty here

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Apollo Explore Scooter a Good Fit For Me? 

If you’re going to rely heavily on using your e-scooter, the Apollo Explore scooter will serve that purpose right. However, the Explore is a relatively heavy scooter. So, if you want a scooter that you can regularly lift from place to place, it might not be a good fit. 

Can Heavy People Ride The Apollo Explore Scooter? 

Yes! In fact, the Explore is a very good option for heavy riders, up to 120 kgs. They can easily ride this scooter with confidence and comfort. 

How Long Do Apollo Scooters Last?

The Apollo Explore scooter is very durable and sturdy. You can tell from their 2-year warranty that these are seriously well-made scooters, and are not easily damaged. The major components, like the motor and frame last indefinitely. While the battery lasts for around 600 charge cycles. The good news is that all parts of the scooter are replaceable. So, worry no more about it! 

Final Words

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The Apollo Explore scooter has proven excellence and competency among other competitors. They can be such a good companion on your daily urban rides, with hardly any hassle. Their design is safe and sleek, with minimal to no faults. 

Moreover, their good build quality allows you to have a smooth and comfortable ride, as well as a safe one. Their non-slippery deck guarantees you a good grip, and their sufficient lighting makes it fit for night rides. Also, they provide a lengthy 2-year warranty, which is their top feature. 

With minor annoyances and a plethora of benefits, we found this scooter to be extremely worth it. So, you don’t need to wait any longer to make your daily commute much more simple and fun. Go ahead and buy one to see for yourself how good this scooter actually is!

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