The Atomi Alpha Electric Scooter Was So Much Better Than I Was Ready For

Temporary Note – It’s on Sale!

The Atomi Alpha Scooter is currently on sale with a $200 discount right now, directly through the Atomi website. This review is based on the $650 MSRP, but at $450, the value is incredible. Purchase link for current sale: atomiscooters.com/products/atomi-alpha

Foreword

I first received an email to consider reviewing the Alpha Foldable Electric Scooter a couple months ago. I’ve always been interested in owning an electric scooter, but never interested enough to take the gamble and purchase one. After some discussion (and research) it seemed like the right time to try this out.

It turns out it was one of my better decisions I’ve made this year. I’m fortunate enough to have a local grocer that’s only a mile away from the house. My mailbox is also down the street, and I have often thought about the utility of something small and economical for short trips like this. Getting a text from my wife that the kids needed more waters at the park was my calling to stock up on fluids, hop on the scooter, and go. It came to a point where I started looking for excuses to ride it, even if I didn’t need to.

What became obvious, and something I soon embraced, was just riding around for 30 minutes or so was a great stress release. It’s such a quiet machine, smooth, and easy to get on and off. I often went on longer rides than I needed to just because I was enjoying riding around so much.

I’m starting my review of the Alpha Electric Scooter from Atomi with the story above, because it’s never my goal to push a product or act as an “advertiser” for a brand. I like sharing my experience, add a few dashes of some detailed information, and hope it helps you decide what’s best for you.

So while I do love the Alpha scooter (more on that soon), I think there’s a benefit in general of owning an electric scooter if it makes sense for you. The Alpha is simply a great option from a wide range of choices out there.

Atomi Alpha Scooter Specs

$650 MSRP
20° Incline capability
650w motor
Max rider weight of 265 pounds
25 mile/40 km max range
9″ anti-puncture, tubeless tires
Rear suspension
RGB lights, headlight, brake light, turn signals, bell
Front drum brake
Built in cable lock
Illuminated display showing battery life, speed, other settings

Unboxing and Setup

The shipping box is a decent size, thanks in part to the Alpha scooter shipping nearly assembled. There are only two screws to insert, and they are secured with the included hex wrench. Once that’s done, it’s advised that you fully charge the scooter before using it for the first time. I know it’s tempting to hit the open road, but you might as well charge it up first!

I was confused where the charge port was at first. I wasn’t even aware there was a built in cable lock system, so I was messing around on the right side of the scooter trying to find the charge port. I soon discovered the port was located next to the kickstand, tucked away just below the stepping platform. At last, I was fully prepped.

Looking over the scooter I discovered a few other nice things. There are blinker buttons on the left side, which flashes the rear turn signal lights just like a normal road-going vehicle. Just next to that is a spring-loaded hook, handy if you have a small item or bag you want to attach while you ride. There’s also a mechanical bell, which is cute, but is only really helpful if you are sneaking up behind pedestrians. It’s not really loud enough to be heard by other motorized vehicles.

You also have a brake lever on the left hand side, which also activates a bright rear LED brake light. I found that out of the box, the brake handle was angled too high for me. This caused my wrist to bend back slightly in order to squeeze the brake, which was challenging to use. Thankfully, you can use a 5mm hex wrench to loosen the brake handle, rotate it to your desired position, then tighten it back up.

On the right hand side is the progressive throttle lever. It’s not a twist throttle, but is instead operated by your thumb. I prefer this for safety reasons, as hitting bumps or moving around while holding the handlebar won’t cause you to change speed unexpectedly. It also has a nice little rubber grip on it, which was comfortable to touch.

On the bottom of the scooter you have the ability to set your own 3-digit combination, which allows you to utilize the integrated cable lock. The metal cable is rather thin, and even though I cannot compare this to other scooters, this is not something I would trust in a riskier area.

You also have a kick stand that works well enough, but I wish it was a little easier to kick out with my foot. I got used to working with it, and even starting kicking it back up when I’m rolling off to save time. Due to the Alpha scooter weighing over 40 pounds, I wished the kickstand was slightly wider and robust as well. If the surface isn’t ideal, the scooter did not always want to stay upright. Because of that, it wasn’t really possible to hang a helmet on the handle bar mot of the time. Thankfully, you can quickly collapse the handle bar, which drastically lowers the center of gravity and makes it much more stable. I just wish I didn’t have to resort to that as a workaround. I keep it upright and use the kickstand in my garage with no issues, however.

Operation

After basic assembly and charging, just press and hold the power button, and you’re ready to go. The default start behavior is kick-start, meaning you have to get rolling to at least 3 km/h on your own before it lets you engage the motor. I suggest starting here if you aren’t comfortable riding yet. You can change this behavior to start from 0 with just the throttle input by using the app, or by pressing the power button 7 times in a row. The kick-start option is definitely safer, as accidentally nudging the throttle will cause it to accelerate, even if you aren’t standing on it.

The pad that you step on is a pretty decent size, and it’s loaded with grip, thanks to the rubberized top cover. With this being a soft rubber (for safety reasons), do not expect it to stay clean. I received the green model (per my request), and the beige pad got dirty on the first day of use. I still think the green is gorgeous in person, and I wouldn’t have picked a different color even with what I know now.

The standard speed mode is fine for starting out, which gives you a top speed of 20 km/h. It also modulates the throttle more smoothly, making it easier to operate in mixed conditions. The Eco mode isn’t just a speed limiter (10 km/h), it also accelerates more slowly. This can be good for optimizing battery life, but for longer drives it did not feel powerful enough for me. I suppose it’s helpful if you are very nervous about riding on a scooter, or don’t have much experience with one. Once I was comfortable on the Alpha scooter, I’ve pretty much left it in sport mode exclusively. Sports mode tops out at 30 km/h, and has a more sensitive throttle as well. I can easily maintain a slower speed by applying partial throttle, so it wasn’t challenging in different traffic situations.

Even in sport mode, power delivery is smooth. It doesn’t feel like a simple power delivery system, where throttle input immediately affects torque output of the motor. With the Alpha Scooter, there seems to be a computer chip that manages power delivery to maintain a smooth acceleration rate. Going up a short but steeper hill like a long driveway results in a smooth gradual speed increase if you max out the throttle. Applying full throttle on a level surface results in faster acceleration of course, but again it all feels managed and controlled. It’s a nice touch.

The front brake, once I adjusted the lever position, worked fine for me in mixed scenarios. I often coast when I know I’m stopping soon, and in many situations didn’t need the brake. I felt safe enough with it to trust it in emergency situations and it was relatively quiet. I never once had it squeak or squeal on me.

The ride was extremely smooth as well. I was nervous about having a rear suspension only, with 9″ tubeless tires. Thankfully it ended up not being an issue. Even at higher speeds with some bumps in the road, the Alpha felt composed and secure. Once you get the hang of a scooter like this, it also feels pretty agile. The chassis is solid, and nothing rattled or made me feel unsafe. I never found myself distracted or concerned with any noises or odd ride characteristics, a testament to the build quality and design.

If you need to power off the Alpha scooter, it needs to be at a full stop. Press hold the power button until you hear a short beep. I would occasionally walk the scooter into the garage while holding the power button and it wouldn’t respond. That’s because it’s detecting at least 1 km/h speed and keeps it on for safety reasons.

Customization

The Alpha scooter has bluetooth support, and the downloadable app works exceptionally well. I was able to quickly change my speed settings, lighting, operation modes, and even perform a software lock. It’s intuitive and stable, making this a painless process. After a couple weeks of use, I stopped using the app for the most part. Once you get familiar with the scooter and the settings you like, there isn’t much need to use it any more. Maybe if you like customizing the underbody and front RGB lighting once in a while, I can see using the app more often. The app also provides some other cool features as well, like a total milage odometer, navigation, and the ability to rename your scooter.

Long term ownership and conclusion

The battery life was advertised at 15 miles. The test notes suggested this is possible on a level surface in pedestrian mode. I never found an easy way to engage pedestrian mode, but that didn’t matter much. With a mixed use of hills, multiple day gaps between use, sport mode, extended drives at high speeds, etc., I still managed to eek out just over 11 miles on a single change. Oddly though, I never got a low battery warning. According to the scooter, I still had one bar left, but it just died on me. Thankfully I wasn’t too far from home and after an overnight charge I was back in business and riding again. The only other issue I had is the back edge of the rubber top seems to be peeling upward. This happened almost immediately after using the scooter for the first time, and thankfully it never worsened.

Aside from a couple minor faults, the Atomi Alpha scooter has been an absolute blast. I have received so many compliments on it even with the RGB not dominating the night seen at local boardwalks. I feel fortunate enough to have received this, and had I known I would enjoy it this much, would have purchased one months ago! Take a look at the purchase links below to learn more about it, and decide if this is the right one for you. I hope this review helps in your decision!