I think I showed up on probably what was the only day in Detroit that I'd ever experienced that included sunshine. As expected for early April, it was still a bit cold. Regardless, I was really looking forward to the one activity that I had been excited about for over a month: Testing out the One Mile Halo City.
The One Mile Halo City at the US Headquarters in Detroit. The black finish was a special edition model.
The One Mile Halo City is a unique creature. Ask most people what their initial impression of this "eScooter" is and they'll immediately tell you that it's not a scooter- it's an eBike (until they realize it doesn't have any pedals to assist the motor). It was born out of a concept of stylish safety. Take one look at the lines on this eScooter, and you'll understand why it won 2017's Red Dot award for design (among many other awards). Within the design, there seemed to have been a lot of ideas about safety. The biggest concept in this design was lowering the center of gravity. Naturally when riding an eScooter that you stand up on, if you have any issues while riding, your natural reaction is to fall forward. This changes a lot when you ask a rider to sit.
I was really happy to sit down with One Mile USA owner Jayson Pankin to go through a lot of specifics before I went out for a ride on my own.
What makes the Halo City so unique?
We already talked about the lowered center of gravity idea but that wasn't where they stopped designing this eScooter. Safety and comfort were a huge priority when putting together the designs so the eScooter features a couple unique things:
- First, the One Mile Halo City has a halo-shaped light on the front that always stays lit. Within its ring light, it has turn signals which are activated using switches on the left side of the handlebars. Along with the signal visibly turning on, there's a very loud beep to let riders and drivers know that you're about to make a turn.
- Tail lights. Very ideal for riding because you're bringing more visibility to yourself.
- It actually folds up fairly small, and can be setup to ride very quickly.
- High quality Panasonic batteries. These have a super-low failure rate, so you can count on having a healthy battery for a very long time.
- 10 inch tires. They provide for a very comfortable ride.
Did You Know....
That the One Mile Halo City made our list of the 5 Best Folding Electric Scooters for City Life?
So I went out for a ride.
Although I didn't have all the time in the world, I plotted a 6 mile course and took a ride to see what this eScooter was like for myself. On the way out, I rode in the Standard Mode which has a decent speed of 12 miles per hour, but on the way back to the HQ, I rode in Sport Mode. The first thing that I noticed was that only was the scooter faster (16 miles per hour), but it accelerated a lot quicker. I'm sure it took a slight toll on the battery, but even at 16 miles per hour I felt very comfortable and safe riding it.
I took the Halo City out for my own ride to size it up against the specs.
The left side of the handlebars was where mission control lived. One button controlled some lighting options, another engaged the different modes, there was one for the decently loud horn, and then obviously the turn signals. It seemed to me that every piece of this eScooter was very well-thought-out and manufactured with care. I wish that every eScooter that came from China was built this well. This one is a cut above anything on the market, and it's truly the Ferrari of its' world, in terms of design and functionality. It performed beautifully on the ride.
After what ended up being a really fun ride, I headed back to HQ to meet again with Jayson and discuss his thoughts on the eScooter. Jayson's very much invested in what he calls, "Micro Mobility 2.0"- a version of what we're experiencing now with this boom of personal electric vehicles, where they're safer and more feature-rich. Oh, and everyone has one. Jayson's not in this for the short haul. He's actively trying to work to promote a greener commute on a safe vehicle.
His background was in healthcare in the automotive field. For those who don't know, Detroit has a rich history with the automotive industry in our country. At one time, it was one of the wealthiest cities in America until manufacturing jobs left the city some decades ago. This eScooter first caught Jayson's eye for it's sleek and comfortable design, but it made sense to him to support this much safer alternative transportation at the point where he started looking at accident statistics from the beginning of the eScooter craze. As you probably knew already, there were a lot of accidents. Often, they were due to a lack of riders wearing helmets. On the other end of the spectrum, that whole concept of center of gravity was a big issue, altogether.
One thing I loved about the people at One Mile USA was how dedicated they were to supporting their product, and their giant want to see a greener, safer commute. One Mile on the whole is constantly innovating. Sometimes, they're expanding on their scooters like the One Mile Halo City, other times, they're preparing for new models in the future. Regardless of what it is, their concepts are still the same: Safety, Comfort, and Reliability.
My Conclusions
Yes, I'd absolutely recommend this eScooter. I'd recommend it for people that have a shorter commute. It's not the fastest scooter, but it doesn't need to be. It rides so comfortably. It doesn't have the longest range, but it doesn't need it either. This is a bit of a last mile solution, and it does that beautifully. If you're buying a One Mile Halo City, you're buying a vehicle that will last you a long time and won't need much attention in the maintenance department. It's an absolute winner, and it perfectly executes every idea it was built for. Had I had the time (and had it not been so cold), I could've had a lot of fun riding this thing all day. I would have loved to have worn out the battery and pushed it to its' limits.
eScootNews.com Rating:
The One Mile Halo City is available for purchase for $1500 USD and you can get them from Urban Machina.
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