Navee S60 test: a scooter inspired by the Tesla Cybertruck at a reasonable price

Comfort and ergonomics

The design of the Navee S60 electric scooter is inspired by the Tesla Cybertruck, at least that’s what the Chinese says, who doesn’t hesitate to display a photo of one, but with questionable realism, on its website. Indeed, with the exception of a few elements such as the metallic color, the resemblance remains superficial. On the other hand, it mimics the American pick-up well thanks to its generous dimensions. This scooter measures 119.5 cm long, with a deck 20 cm wide, a truly functional metal footrest and a handlebar positioned at 125 cm in height.

In terms of comfort, the S60 does well. Although elementary in their design (superimposed slats), the suspensions offer correct absorption of irregularities. Let’s say it’s more comfortable, but it would be much worse without it, even if it remains quite firm. The 10-inch CST tubeless tires provide reliable handling, even on wet surfaces. Finally, the presence of three brakes, two drums and one electromagnetic (which is rare in this price range), ensures short and progressive braking, without blocking the wheels.

With a weight of 23.5 kg and a 60 cm wide handlebar, the Navee S60 is clearly not made for public transport. Its folding system is also poorly designed: the stem pivots too easily, making transport laborious. In addition, the weight distribution makes it difficult to carry up stairs or confined spaces.

In the realm of practical options, Navee follows Ninebot and Xiaomi and makes its S60 compatible with Apple’s Find function. So there’s no point trying to hide a tracker. Unfortunately there is nothing for Android currently.

The quality of the grips, both the handles and the deckis very correct. Although it seems a little low-end, this Navee S60 is robust and has endured several months of use in fairly harsh conditions without showing the slightest weakness.

Conduct

The Navee S60 offers a compelling on-road experience. Its 500 W motor (1000 W peak) allows it to climb slopes of up to 10% at a speed stabilized at 15 km/h and a user weighing 100 kg on it. In normal conditions, this electric scooter easily maintains the regulatory 25 km/h.

The braking is effective. From a speed of 25 km/h, the scooter stops after 3.5 m with the combined use of the brakes. In the rain, the 10-inch tubeless tires provide excellent grip and additional comfort, as the tires are inflated to a lower pressure than those with inner tubes. The mudguards fulfill their role and the very wide deck prevents part of the shoes from sticking out, therefore being protected from projections when you turn the handlebars.

We notice the presence of indicators, a piece of equipment that has now become commonplace, as manufacturers anticipate possible legislation. Hardly visible during the day, they light up very brightly at night.

The acceleration trigger (or controller to be exact) offers great fluidity coupled with very decent progression. Often, scooter triggers actually lack fluidity in movement, which causes unpleasant jerks at low speed. A problem that the Navee S60 does not suffer from.

Finally, the screen is extremely useless: no indication of the battery percentage, motor power and energy recovery or just the time. On the other hand, the speed is displayed in large format. As a reminder, the legal 25 km/h being the limit, knowing your speed is of no use. You must therefore fall back on the app, which is certainly very limited, but which indicates the remaining battery percentage, the journey time, the distance of the current route, the average and maximum speed (in the event of a slope).

The lighting is quite weak and its spectrum too narrow. It will be necessary to add a second lighting oriented more towards the ground in order to make the potholes more visible.

Autonomy

The range of 60 km announced by the manufacturer is optimistic. During our tests, the Navee S60 reached an average of 25 km in varied conditions: sport mode, temperature around 20 ° C, 100 kg driver and a course offering a nice climb and a nice descent. Note that in all our measurements, energy harvesting was at its strongest. So we did several trips with 100% battery initially. The range fluctuated between 22.4 km in the cold with some elevation gain and a nice 30.2 km at moderate temperature (24°C) on a flat route. With a lighter person, it is possible to very often be close to 30 km.

While this is still sufficient for many urban journeys, users with longer journeys will need to recharge frequently. But at 25 km/h maximum speed (or 20 km/h average), 30 km already represents 1 hour 30 minutes of travel. It’s long.

The good surprise comes from the 48 V of the battery, which allows you to maintain 25 km/h until the battery is at 5%. However, we note a decreasing acceleration as soon as the battery drops to 10%.

Fully charging takes approximately 8 hours with the standard charger provided. A relatively long duration which can pose a problem for intensive use. It takes approximately 2 hours 30 minutes to go from 0% to 50%. As long as this 50% allows you to travel 10 km to 15 km, it is acceptable.