I’ve traveled the world and whitewater kayaked off 40′ waterfalls, run hard class 5 rapids backwards on purpose and jump 40 feet in the air regularly when kiteboarding. I can say with some certainty that it takes a lot to really scare me. After 30 minutes on the Lunacycle custom 96v AWD dual Adaptto controller Apocalypse Electric Scooter my knees were still shaking from all the adrenaline.
The Apocolypse Scooter after 12 hours in the hands of Luke (Live For Physics), and you thought I was bad at trashing other people’s gear. Scooter Electric
When I first took off on the scooter I was running the dual Adaptto’s in ECO mode and I thought “OK, this is pretty scary, but not outside of the realm of what is reasonable”. Then I realized the controllers could be put into BOOST mode. Once I did that I began to live in fear of the throttle. If I pressed it all the way down the wheels would start peeling out and there was just no way to lean forward far enough to offset the massive acceleration of the scooter. I found myself squatting down trying to keep my center of gravity as low as possible and grinning like a mad fool the whole time. This custom scooter is like nothing I have ever ridden before. Totally and completely over the top.
The original Apocolypse 3000W AWD scooter from Luna ($1570 but out of stock right now here but back soon) is a really fun ride to be had. Eric decided that 52v was just not enough so he pulled the battery and had Josh the Mad Professor build him a custom 96v pack out of 25R cells. Pairing the new battery with dual Adaptto controllers this little ‘giggling deathwish’ scooter become an unholy terror to behold. Riding it reminds me of test driving a Ducati 996, except it has crappy brakes and only weighs about 60lbs.
It might seem like a total exaggeration to say driving this scooter is like riding one of these, but I assure you. It’s not. I’ve ridden both. I would not lie to you.
Electric mobility devices are awesome because in order to have gut-wrenching, tire-squealing power you don’t need a giant engine and everything that goes along with it. With a tiny high power controller and a big pack made out of high amperage cells like the 25R you can build something that feels incredible but looks like a joke. This 96v AWD scooter is like that. Women would look at you and laugh, but it will still smoke most supercars on the market off the line (at least up to 30mph or so). Total madness.
You can see my ghetto velcro GPS setup on the left for verifying my need for speed
I just got in from doing high-speed GPS verified testing and I got the scooter up to 50mph before I chickened out. My hands are still shaking from adrenaline as I write this article. All I can say is that I didn’t reach the end of the throttle and there was still plenty more to go. Trying to check the speed on the GPS while screaming through a residential neighborhood with nothing on but a kiteboarding helmet and no crashpads or leather on was a little too much for my pitiful fearful brain to handle. It was the most terrified I have ever been on any electric powered device. Going over 50mph on a 10 inch wheeled kickscooter is really only a good pastime for the certifiably insane. Good thing I’m certifiably insane.
The Dual Mini-E Adaptto controllers are tiny and work surprisingly well … as a foot rest
The Adaptto controllers were setup with a thumb throttle for the go juice and a thumb throttle for the regen. The regen was incredibly smooth and the throttle was incredibly responsive. The Mini-E is rated at 65 Amps which makes this a 10,000W+ scooter as there are two controllers, one for each motor. I have to say the Adaptto controller is one of the nicest Sine wave controllers I have ever used and I would highly recommend it for any application.
The custom 96v pack designed and built by Josh the mad professor right here in the USofA
Although I felt like the 3000W Apocolypse scooter (review here) was already the most fun kick scooter in the known universe I have to admit the 10,000W kick scooter is about 3x as much fun. Lunacycle has no intention of ever offering this kick scooter to the public (it’s a giggling deathtrap), so if you want to have one, you’ll just have to buy a Ludicrous scooter and build one yourself. I estimate about 5-6 hours to build the battery and 3-4 hours to install and program the Adapttos. 10 hours of labor to create the most insane vehicle around. I strongly recommend building a pack out of 25R cells which are the perfect cells for this application as each cell can easily put out 20 Amps continuously and 100Amps burst. Although this cell is several years old there is nothing on the market that even comes close. The next runner up is the 30Q which can do 15 Amps continuous per cell, but will get warm doing that pretty quick.
When going 50+mph on a kick scooter having full suspension and decent tires is mandatory
What can I possibly say about this scooter that I haven’t already said. If you are a horrible adrenaline junkie like I am this is probably the worst thing you could ever own. I think if this was my scooter there is absolutely no way I could stop riding it much faster than I should until I hit something and died or the police took it away from me. In order for the latter to happen, they would have to catch me first, which I can say with some certainty would be nearly impossible for them to do on this scooter. This scooter is by far the best motorized transportation for any drug dealer, criminal with outstanding arrest warrants, or apocalypse wannabe survivor. There is no way that anyone you don’t want to catch you will ever catch you on this thing, unless you crash it or the tires rip off it by pegging the throttle.
A rat’s nest of scorched XT90 connectors, the way every racing electric vehicle should be
That was no joke, the acceleration on this scooter was so insane I was seriously afraid of the tires ripping apart as they would both peel out when I pegged the throttle.
So glad I don’t own.
This article was originally published in March of 2017 in electric-boarding.com which is a site I’m retiring soon.
I rode the AWD 52V Apocalypse scooter, and I agree with you, Karl. It has the most stealth existence of any product I have ever used. It’s “just a scooter” when you fold it up and step onboard a city bus, but when some texting idiot in a 4,000-lb car tries to kill you, the acceleration is insane.
Yeah, the 96v version was over the top, you should take it for a whirl the next time you’re in LA. Just wear your motorcycle helmet and crash pads. Been enjoying your recent articles. Inspiring me to start writing again. I forget how much I enjoy it. You have been the #1 inspiration for me Ron, I hope we get to meet someday before one of us ends up a bug splat on a windshield.
Try my 808….96v…125 amp….96mph….13in tires…6.5in variable voltage hub motors can support 144v but too scared to put more power……but it’s surprisingly stable at 75 mph
could some one refer me on how to attain a motorcycle with my specific criterial needz. i am 5’6″ tall (5 feet 6 inches tall) fat as fuck at 190 and i need a motorcyle to do at least 70 per hour 2 times a week for 3 continuous hours on the freeway without a problem.
Get a Zero. Buy the most expensive one you can afford, they are incredible.
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