Electric scooter faceoff – Apollo City Pro 2022 vs GPad Storm Max
These two electric scooters are very different in design, Apollo City Pro 2022 looks like a solid city scooter in a discrete grey design. GPad Storm Max is a hybrid concept for city and off-road in black and orange colors. Both scooters are powered by 2 motors with equal rated power and a 48V system. GPad Storm Max has 50% more juice inside the battery which is a major difference.
I had a chance to ride GPad Storm Max electric scooter a few months before Apollo City Pro. The memories were excellent. It was like being finally relieved – at last, we have a scooter that performs well and behaves like reading your thoughts. Very stable at low and high speeds, with no speed wobble at all. Very comfortable and wide handlebar with no handlebar wobble. Good (but not crazy) acceleration, comfortable riding position, and responsive suspension. The display is well visible, and it is easy to navigate between 1WD and 2WD and different speed levels. Something that I needed to get used to, was how to handle the throttle, as it was a bit jumpy. But after finding good support for my thumb, it became much more manageable. I could also wish for a little more torque on hill-climb, but this was just a thought that I quickly forgot as the scooter handled most hills really smoothly.
Apollo City Pro 2022 electric scooter is clearly designed for city travel in mind with its no-flat tires and monolithic grey design. It looked almost boring, which is why it was only after a couple of days of idling in the corner that I finally took it for a ride. I unlocked all settings for testing purposes and set the acceleration and regen breaking to max level.
The scooter feels very solid and well manageable with proper suspension and acceleration. The regen brake lever under the left thumb seemed a bit weird in the beginning, I mean what – the 3rd brake lever? Why not have 2 throttles as well? But this was something I really started to enjoy, besides the overall great ride feeling. The regen brake is really efficient, remembering Elon Musk unveiling the Tesla e-truck that never needs brake maintenance – the motors are used as brakes. When using the brakes, it still felt a bit confusing while making a decision about which levers to use – the regular levers or the one under the left thumb. BTW the regular drum brakes are pretty drowsy and need a lot of pressure – a small price to pay for having the cables hidden in the frame.
The geometry and weight distribution are both excellent, which makes riding with Apollo City Pro enjoyable. The platform feels safe to stand on with good length and width as well as good grip and good enough clearance. Both acceleration and regen braking is very well-dosed enabling a good sense of control and making you feel like a pilot of a powerful beast. At top speeds (40-50km/h) the handlebar becomes very light though, that feels like a speed wobble warning. But no wobble. The tires have excellent grip, which is almost like an invitation to try some carving. Together with excellent suspension, the tires make you feel like gliding. It was just that moment when I started to remember my thoughts about GPad Storm Max. Remember, that finally the ideal scooter has been designed. Because in quite some ways, Apollo City Pro seemed to do even better.
Then I decided to do something that City Pro is not intended for at all. I took the scooter to some forest off-road tracks and trails as well as to a pump track. Luckily, there wasn’t any rain recently, so I did not need to risk slippery conditions with those slick tires. Nevertheless, I expected the offroad to be too challenging for this city dweller.
The first challenge – a forest trail full of tree roots was not very comfortable, but still quite ok when I moved most of the weight off from the front wheel. The performance was much better than many heavy-power scooters can do. Many of these get easily stuck in these conditions because the front wheel lies too much under the belly of the electric scooter, ending up catapulting you to the bushes.
Apollo City Pro 2022 really surprised me with how the combination of geometry and power helped me to handle steep inclines, drops, and even kickers. Honestly, I gave the electric scooter a really hard time with all these drops and jumps, and it was only due to it handling most of the challenges amazingly well. There were just a few hills I could not conquer as there was not enough torque or grip. At some point I could see error E4 flashing on the display, however, this disappeared without any restart.
Pump-track with Apollo City Pro was a fun experience. After some practice, I could do almost the full length of the track without touching the throttle. Ups and downs, small kickers – it’s a lot of fun for me and for the kids stopping their practicing in share awe. They invited me back to have another session with them later.
| Apollo City Pro | GPad Storm Max | |
| Weight | 29 | 28 |
| Max load | 100 | 120 |
| IP grade | IP56 | IPX4 |
| Motors | Permanent 2/2 | 2/2 or 1/2 switch |
| Motor Power | Rated 500W | Rated 500W |
| Battery | 48V 18Ah 864Wh | 18V 26Ah 1248Wh |
| Display | Central Stem Integrated | Central Stem Mounted |
| Throttle | Thumb | Thumb |
| Brakes | 1 lever for Regen brake + 2 levers for drum brakes | 2 levers for hydraulic disc brakes |
| Suspension | 2x dual swing arm | 2x dual swing arm |
| Top speed | 49.7 | 62.5 |
| Range | 36.5 (60) | 49 (75) |
| Charging time | 6h | 13h (with standard) 9h with a fast charger |
| App | Yes | No |
| Settings adjustment | On App, Cruise, zero-start, sliders for acceleration, brake intensity | Buttons + display, zero-start, Cruise, passcode |
| Lock | No | Passcode |
| Speed levels | 3 | 3 |
| Lights | Front, rear | Front, rear, and side |
| Turning lights | Yes, self-canceling | Yes |
| Folding | Steering column folding, no handlebar folding | Steering column folding, no handlebar folding |
| Handlebar height adjust | No | Yes |
| Clearance adjust | No | No |
| Cables, design | Internal cable routing | Semi-internal cable routing |
| Tires | Onroad 10×3“ no-flat. | Hybrid 10×3.5“ |
All these childish adventures helped me to test the electric scooter and properly befriend it. My conclusion is that Apollo City Pro has much more to offer than meets the eye at the first sight. Excellent engineering and an understanding of geometry, mechanics, and electronics describe the work of Apollo City Pro 2022 designers. There are a few minor items on my wish list, but nothing to complain seriously. I just need to get back to GPad Storm Max once again, to see if it still holds the title of my favorite electric scooter in the medium price range. Or … the title needs to go to Apollo City Pro?!
