Alfawise M1 Folding Electric Scooter

Currently, the number one China electric scooter is definitely the Xiaomi M365. But a clone from Alfawise, the Alfawise M1 seems to be a very good electric scooter either. How does the M1 perform on its own and how does it compare? Is it a worthy Xiaomi M365 alternative for a price that is much more friendly? We decided to get the Alfawise M1 and take it for a spin.

Specifications

Specifications as stated on GearBest

• General: Brand: Alfawise // Type: Electric Kick Scooter // For: Adults,Office Workers,Teenagers // Charger type: EU plug // Wheel Number: 2 Wheel // Folding Type: Folding
• Parameters: Battery: Li-ion battery // Maximum Mileage: 30km // Maximum Speed: 25km/h // Max Payload: 100kg // Motor Rated Power: 280W // Charging Time: 6 Hour // Tire Diameter: 8.5 inches
• Basic Information: Product weight: 12.5000 kg //
  Product size: 108.00 x 43.00 x 114.00 cm / 42.52 x 16.93 x 44.88 inches

Expectations

The design of the Alfawise M1 is based on the Xiaomi M365. As you probably already know: we love Xiaomi products, from the notebooks to the night lights and headphones. So something based these experiences this should be a great product. But it is not a Xiaomi brand product, but it is branded Alfawise. Based on our experiences with this brand we know these products are also pretty decent but a bit more budget oriented. Some of the Alfawise products are great, but sometimes Alfawise just misses the mark. We expect (and sincerely hope) the Alfawise M1 is another great product.

Packaging

The product comes is a pretty boring cardboard box but is packed well protected with Styrofoam. The dimensions of the package are 110.00 x 51.00 x 18.00 cm and it weighs nearly 16 kg.

What’s in the box

• The Alfawise M1 Electric Scooter
• English Manual
• An Allen key
• A Charger

Features

The features as indicated on the Gearbest product page:

• Tire: the rear wheel of the vacuum tire front wheel honeycomb tire, taking into account the shock absorption and safety, riding more comfortable
• Brake: equipped with the double brake system, the front wheel adopts E-ABS anti-lock braking system, the rear wheel adopts mechanical disc brake, the braking distance is as short as 4 meters, and the riding is safer
• Display: display gear position, speed, power, control headlights
• Taillights: the taillights often flash when riding, and the brakes are always bright, making riding safer
• Battery: LG18650 Li-ion battery pack, battery capacity 280Wh, intelligent BMS battery management system, cruising range of 30km
• Braking: advanced E-ABS braking system, kinetic energy recovery system, cruise control system and intelligent BMS system
• System protection: short circuit protection, over current protection, overcharge protection, over discharge protection, low voltage protection, and temperature abnormal protection
• Kinetic energy recovery: electric scooters have a kinetic energy recovery system that converts kinetic energy into electrical energy and provides better battery life
• Frame: aviation grade aluminum frame, perfect balance between strength and weight
• Quick folding: 3 seconds fast-folding design, stable and convenient

Test

Before ordering the Alfawise M1 I made up my mind on how to test this product. Because it’s not a 20 euro purchase and it’s something that I really had to fit into my life. So I decided not to look just at the technical side of thinks and the overall experience with the Alfawise M1, but also how you could fit it in your life, how you can maintain it and how it compares to the other main competing electric scooters. For the latter, I could compare to the other available scooter, the Ninebot Segway ES2. But to compare to other scooters I did my desk research.

Build Quality & Design

The electric scooter is a high quality product, it has a solid aluminum frame. It is stated as ‘aviation grade’, but haven flown with it. The brushless motor is located in the front wheel and a disc brake is located on the back solid wheel. The steer handles have a rubber coast and can be detached by unscrewing them on the steer is a hard plastic display and a metallic hook to keep the folded steering bar in place. The mudguard brackets are made of high quality plastic.

Heath / Power consumption /Noise

The battery of the 280W  motor charging time is told to be six hours for a full charge, which will provide the scooter a reach of about 30 km. Since I used the Alfawise M1 more for shorter trips I have not tried the 30 km at once, but in several smaller trips without recharging. The accompanied charger plugs into the side of the battery and has a colored charge LED indicator. While braking the kinetic energy recovery system reuses the braking energy. There is no way for me to find out whether that actually works but it sounds very efficient.

When riding the Alfawise for a while the tires become a bit warm due to the friction on the road. After a couple of weeks the disc brake started to make a scratching noise because brake pads touched the brake. This was fixed easily by readjusting it using an Allen key.

Portability / Mobility

The steering column of the Alfawise M1 can be folded in to make the electric scooter more portable. So you can carry it or it fit in the trunk of a car. The M1 also comes with a standing leg for parking.

Folding in the scooter can be done pretty easy. You just push the safety lock out (that prevents the scooter from accidentally folding) and pull the lever. Now the steering column comes down and you can click a hook on the steering bar in a holder located on the mudguard of the back wheel. You can unfold the scooter by clicking open the hook and by reversing the steps.

When folded, the electric scooter can be carried up to a stairs. However the weight of the scooter (12.5 kg) will probably withhold you from carrying the folded scooter around longer than absolutely necessary. And the folded scooter is also a bit too bulky to carry it around in for example a grocery store. And on the other hand: there is no good and quick lock to safely park the M1 and tie it to a street pole.

Usability

You can use the Alfawise M1 without turning on the power, but after a while it feels a bit heavy. It’s totally doable, but when you buy an electric scooter you might as well use it.

Control Panel / Display

You switch it on by pressing the single button on the control panel for two seconds. It will give a sound as feedback and you will see the control panel light up. If you press the button again for two seconds, the scooter will switch off (also with audio feedback). Short press the activated scooter to toggle the back and front light. The front light is a powerful LED light with a pretty big beam and the back light is a red LED light which flashes when you pull the brake. Double short press will switch to energy mode (with a max of 15 km/h) this is indicated by a blue led light. If this mode it of a red light is shown. The battery indicator, which consists of four blue dots is also shown on the control panel. For a weird reason you can read everything from the display while driving outside during daylight, except for the battery indicator.

Riding the M1 in a nuttshell

The motor of the Alfawise M1 does accelerate from a standing position, so you need to need to give it one or two pushes for it get up to speed. From there you push the acceleration lever and than the motor takes over and gently accelerates the scooter up to 25 km/h. This acceleration could be a bit quicker, but that also just could be me being impatient. When you maintain the same speed four a couple of seconds you will hear a ‘beep’, which indicates the cruise control kicked in. You can release the lever and the M1 will maintain its speed until you pull the break lever.

Comfort of driving

The M1 drives more pleasant than what I expected. This is because of the pneumatic tubeless tire on the front wheel which, compared to a solid tire, alleviates all the bumps in the road and provides a very smooth experience. Other electric scooters have solid tires on both wheels which gives a bumpier experience. Another positive contributor to the experience is the breaking system. It consists of a break lever and disk brakes with an electronic ABS with a dual braking system. Behind the scenes there is the kinetic energy recovery system which reuses the energy when breaking. This all result in a direct but very smooth breaking experience.

Flat tire

A disadvantage of having a pneumatic tire is that it can run flat. Or, to be more precise: in some way the air ran out of the front tubeless tire and because it did not notice immediately I continued driving with it. Therefore the tire got deformed and did not mount back on the rim when inflated. So I decided to order a new non-tubeless tire with inner tube. Replacing the tire was a bit of a hassle but by watching this Youtube video and a bit of soap on the edges of the tires did the trick. See the section ‘Complementary products’ for the details of the tire.

Customizability

On thingiverse (the number one place to find 3D printable parts) there currently no printable designs available for the Alfawise M1. However, because it is a Xiaomi M365 alternative, you can search for this model and check out those designs. Since the M1 is not a 100% clone of the M365 not all models will fit. But with some logical reasoning and by looking at the pictures you can pretty easy determine which parts will fit on the Alfawise M1. So you can print your own hooks, mudguard brackets and leg endcaps.

Complementary Products / Alternatives

There are plenty of alternative electric scooters for the Alfawise M1. Worth mentioning is of course the big brother of the Alfawise M1, the Xiaomi M365. Another electric scooter we reviewed is the Ninebot Segway ES2. A more detail comparison between the M1 and ES2 will follow.

There are plenty complementary and replacement products available for the Alfawise M1. Some of the Xiaomi M365 parts also work for the M1. When I replaced the front tire, I ordered the Front Tire with Inner Tube and an extra spare Inner Tube, both from the brand Gocomma. When the solid tire wears out, I will order the Solid Tire. You can also order a Folding Electric Scooter Storage Bag by Gocomma.

Pro / cons

Pros

• Attractive price
• Very comfortable ride.
• Good brake (even with electronic ABS).
• Kinetic energy recovery system

Cons

• No App
• No easy way to lock the scooter.

Price quality

The price quality ratio for the Alfawise M1 scooter is excellent. Because it is much cheaper, it is a great Xiaomi M365 alternative. The trade-off you have to make for this price is more than acceptable.

Verdict

The Alfawise M1 is a good buy. Other electric scooter models are much more expensive and although the M1 it has some quirks it is a good electric scooter. If you want a top of the line electric scooter with app-integration and other high-end features and you are willing to pay, than you should step up and choose one from a more expensive segment. But even then, the overall driving experience and the disc brake make it a very comfortable electric scooter. Some of the drawbacks I experienced are the weight, the hassle carrying the folded scooter around, and the inability to safely park it outside for example a store. But those drawbacks apply for almost every electric scooter currently available.

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