Scooters are increasingly used: with the increased use – and especially with the new bonuses for sustainable mobility – more and more Italians have bought one or are planning to do so in the near future.
But trying a scooter, on the street, in the streets of a city (although it is the perfect test to simulate real dynamics), is not at all easy. First of all, because you have to consider the characteristics of the city: whether it is in the hills, in the plains, in the mountains or by the sea. Then, because you have to consider where you live: in an apartment, a villa, in the center or in the suburbs. It seems strange to have to discuss geography when considering the purchase of an electric scooter, but it is not at all.
There are other variables to keep in mind too, but they are more personal. The Doc Twelve+ di Nilox it can be thought of as a scooter for many different uses, but only because its features are among the best the market can offer. The Twelve + is in fact the eldest of three brothers (the other two are the Doc Ten and the Doc 8five), which share some basic technical characteristics: they are foldable, have a rear disc brake, pneumatic wheels and a three-level cruising speed system at 6, 20 and 25 km / h. They also have an LCD display, 350W motor, rear LED to notify the braking and can support a maximum of 100kg. Here, here personal variables come into play: not only the weight must be less than 100 kg, but the range of the scooter varies according to the weight of the driver. And given that the estimated maximum range of the Twelve + is 30km, weight changes can have a significant impact, moving the limit from 30 to 28 or even less.
Obviously, that of weight is the most predictable restriction: in any case, Twelve + is the largest model in the line, and therefore it is comfortable to keep on its feet while driving and manages well the turns, brakes and constant changes of speed. The undersigned, who tried the scooter, weighs 72 kg and performed the test over three weeks doing errands and pleasure rides through the streets of central Rome, wiggling through smooth roads, with holes, and made of cobblestones. Here, therefore, comes the second block of considerations to be made both with regard to autonomy and the actual purchase choice.
The first is that the autonomy varies considerably according to the path taken. But those who have already owned an electric scooter know this well: the more climbs there are on the way, the steeper they are, and the more power will be used (also in relation to the weight of the driver). For example, a round trip of about 6km, with about 2km of very steep climbs, consumed almost 70% of battery. Obviously, this can be easily solved by choosing routes with mostly flat sections: in general, running a round trip of about 15 km with a few climbs, the autonomy was reduced by just 50%.
The second consideration is common: during a journey, the Twelve + is reliable in most cases, but when you take a lot of holes or cover a stretch with cobblestones, the risk is that the clamp that holds the handlebar up auction and cause an accident. This is a problem common to all folding scooters, but the Twelve + is so comfortable and fast (the maximum speed recorded was 24 km / h against the 25 declared by Nilox), that it is almost forgotten.
There is, in fact, a third consideration to make, a bonus variable: the Twelve + is comfortable, but it is still large. For those who live in an apartment, especially in the city (where it makes more sense to use a vehicle of this type), it may not be easy to find a space, and it is not easy to take it in the elevator, nor easy to carry it in your arms, because the hook that attaches the handlebar to the fender, when folded, is not very solid. And the LCD is very useful, yes, with the keys to set the three speeds, but it doesn’t look very good in the sunlight. Finally (but this could be an isolated case to the unit under test), all the adjustments of the scooter should already be suitable for a person who is certainly taller than the handlebars, as it would be difficult for a shorter person to ride it.
After all, many of these notes are common to all folding scooters, and some are easily solved: Nilox Doc Twelve + is an excellent scooter from all points of view, but it must be considered the context in which it will be used: in a villa in the countryside. (where there is ample space to park it) and in the plains (where autonomy is maximized) is the perfect choice. And yet its primary use should be to replace the car in busy cities, which at least in Italy do not represent the ideal situation for such a device.