Bugatti is famed for building ultra-expensive exotic cars for well-heeled customers that own oil companies or were born into royalty. The company is not known for making electric scooters. But if you buy generic-brand products or have a bag filled with other bags underneath your sink, you, too, can now afford to own a Bugatti of sorts… just not a Type 57 or Veyron.
While not cheap, this battery-powered, Bytech-built, Bugatti-branded scooter costs around $1,200, a far cry from the millions you’d drop on a new Chiron. And for what it is, this last-mile transportation device offers good range, laudable performance and a passel of nice features.
Unboxing and assembly
Unlike a new car, some assembly is required here, though the process is dead simple. In fact, removing this scooter from the packaging is more difficult than putting it together.
Unboxing takes a bit of effort. Everything is tightly packaged and is carefully wrapped. Sliding the main box out of the shipping container is challenging.
After disrobing the scooter from its not-insignificant packaging, assembly is dead simple and only takes about five minutes. You basically set the scooter on its kickstand; fold the handlebar stem up, locking it in place; clip together a single waterproof cable; and then attach the handlebars to the upright tube using four screws and the included Allen wrench. After that, you’re ready to charge the battery then go for a ride.
Tech and specs
This Bugatti-branded scooter is offered in several colors: black (which is what we have), blue, silver and a searing yellow. Built around a magnesium frame, this device weighs around 35 pounds.
The handlebar post folds down and can be latched to a hook on the rear fender, making the scooter easy to transport in a car trunk or carry on a bus. Unfortunately, this device still feels quite heavy and is surprisingly bulky. Overall, it can support up to 242 pounds.
Helping you glide along the pavement are 9-inch wheels wrapped in non-pneumatic tires. The good news is these will never go flat, the bad news is they are incredibly stiff, which provides a bone-shaking ride. An electronic rear brake helps slow you down, as does handle-operated drum brake on the front wheel.
Enhancing safety, this scooter has a small headlamp, though it’s not very bright, and a brake light, one that also shines a slightly distorted Bugatti logo onto the pavement. A small bell is provided, too, so you can alert other pedestrians of your presence.
Motivation is provided by a 600-watt brushless DC motor that’s fed by a 360-Watt-hour battery pack. This setup provides a manufacturer-estimated range of between 20 and 25 miles. The recharge time from a standard household outlet is about 4 hours.
Performance and controls
As for performance, this scooter tops out at 18.6 mph (30 km/h), which feels way faster as you whiz through the open air. Three modes allow you to adjust the top speed. Setting one limits the scooter to 9 mph, two is good for 12.5 and three gives you the full Montgomery. These speed limit settings are easily accessible via the M button on the control panel.
A long press of the power button turns the scooter on or off. A short press of the same switch activates or deactivates the headlight. Turn signals are included, too, flashing lights on the ends of the handlebars and on the scooter’s base.
Mounted on the handlebars is a simple screen that shows a variety of information, things like your speed, battery life, whether the headlight is on and there’s even an odometer.
An intuitive thumb control serves as the accelerator and the front brake pull-handle works just like one on a bicycle.
When it’s time to go for a scoot, this device will not start on its own, even if you push the accelerator toggle all the way. You have to shove off first, get the scooter rolling before the motor will engage.
Once moving, the acceleration is decent. Off-the-line grunt is good, but the vigor does diminish as velocity increases. Holding a constant speed for 10 seconds or longer engages cruise control, though this is quite unintuitive and, frankly, difficult to achieve.
The brakes are dead simple and refreshingly easy to modulate, but the ride quality is absolutely brutal. Really, it’s best to use this scooter exclusively on smooth surfaces. It can handle gravel, but it’s a bit dicey. Grass is mostly a no-go, unfortunately, as it slows the device down to a crawl.
Similarly, the manufacturer recommends avoiding rough surfaces. The scooter can handle bumps or water up to 0.75 inches. A Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen this is not. It’s also not recommended that you accelerate down hills or ride in the rain.
Nice, but overpriced
As last-mile transportation solutions go, this Bugatti-branded scooter is quite nice, aside from the surfeit of tacky emblems of dubious provenance. The performance is good, there are plenty of features and this scooter does seem to be of good quality. Unfortunately, pricing is a conspicuous downside, as $1,200 is a big ask. You can get similar scooters with comparable features and range for less than half as much. If the Bugatti name matters to you, consider this product, if not, it’s probably better to shop elsewhere.
