I raced a stranger up a hill on the Apollo Explorer 2.0, and completely smoked his electric scooter

When looking for an electric scooter for commuting, there are three things you need to balance: weight, range, and power (we’ll leave price out for a moment). The further you want to go, and the more hills you want to climb, the heavier the scooter.

The Apollo Explore 2.0 is by no means a light scooter — it checks in at 60 pounds — but it has the power and the battery to go the distance, and, thanks to a beefy suspension system, can get you over rougher roads. Compared to the best electric scooters, it can hold its own against the likes of Segway and others. I’ve been riding the Apollo Explore 2.0 for a few months; here’s what I like about the scooter, and a few things I think could be improved.

Price

The Explore sits at the top end of Apollo’s commuter line of scooters. The Explore 2.0, which costs $849 on sale (regularly $1,299) weighs 60 pounds, has a top speed of 25 MPH, and a range of 37 miles. Coming later in 2026 is the $1,699 Explore Stellar, which has a top speed of 40 MPH and a range of up to 50 miles.

By contrast, the starting model is the $649 Dash (available Q3 2026), which weighs 43 pounds, has a 25-mile range and a top speed of 21 MPH.

What I liked

Thanks to its dual suspension and large tires, the Explore 2.0 delivers a smooth ride, and its large battery and powerful motor also make for an engaging trip.

Comfortable ride

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The Explore has triple-spring suspension (one for the front wheel, two for the rear) which, coupled with 10-inch tires, made for a very cushy ride over all but the biggest of potholes. The design of the Explore’s suspension gives it six inches of ground clearance; you’d have to go over something pretty big to need that, but it’s nice that it’s there.

The handlebars are raked back slightly; it’s something I’ve seen on some of my favorite Segway scooters, such as the Ninebot Max G3, and which provides a bit more control while also looking cooler than straight bars.

Powerful motor

While it has just a single, 500W rear hub motor, the Explore proved more than powerful enough for my neighborhood’s hills. One day, as I was commuting home from the train station, I was stopped at the bottom of my steep test hill, next to another rider on an electric scooter.

“Can that make it up the hill?” he asked me. “We’ll find out,” I replied.

I gave him a few seconds head start, then roared past at a steady 15 MPH as he looked on enviously. I made it to the top well ahead of him. (To be fair, he was riding a less powerful scooter, which had only a 350W motor).

By comparison, the Segway E3 Pro, which has a smaller 400W motor, topped out at around 10 MPH on the same hill.

Good range

Apollo says the Explore has a range of up to 37 miles, but that’s in its Eco mode, which has you limp along at around 9 miles per hour. More realistic is its Sport (22 miles) and Ludo (15 miles) modes, which are more reflective of its top speed of 25 MPH.

In my typical riding — I live in a somewhat hilly area, and I weigh around 200 pounds — I’ll get around 40% of the advertised range, and that was true here, too. I was able to average around 10-ish miles before needing a recharge. If you need something with greater range, I’d suggest the Segway Ninebot Kickscooter Max G3, which can get up to 50 miles on a charge (I got around 12 miles).

On the left handlebar is a regular brake lever, as well as a thumb button to use regenerative braking. The latter doesn’t slow the scooter down as readily as the handbrake — I used regen to regulate my speed, but the handbrake to come to a full stop — but thisit will let you eke out a little more range.

It’s easy to lock

One of the design challenges with electric scooters is that there’s rarely an easy way to lock them. The Explore has a nice big handle at the back of the deck, which not only makes it easier to pick up, but provides a convenient slot through which you can slide one of the best bike locks.

Should that not be enough to deter thieves, the scooter can be locked electronically via the app. However, I do wish it had Apple FindMy or some other location-tracking feature, as you’ll find on Segway scooters and some other brands.

What I didn’t like

While the Explore 2.0 does have turn signals in the handlebars, I also wish they were in the rear of the deck. It also has a pretty basic display, and lacks location-tracking services should your scooter get lost or stolen.

Only one set of turn signals

One thing I really like about the Apollo CiIty is its two sets of turn signals — one in the handlebars, and one at the rear of the deck. Not only do they look cool, but it makes you a lot more visible to drivers behind you. However, on the Explore, the only turn signals are on the handlebars.

A previous complaint from my other Apollo reviews is that the turn signal controls are split between the right and left handlebars; I much prefer them to be clustered on the left.

Basic display

The Explore has a rather basic “dot matrix” display that gives you the bare minimum — battery life and speed — while riding, and really, that’s all you need. I rarely look at the display myself, so my issue isn’t with that, although it should be noted that virtually every other electric scooter has a more sophisticated screen.

What I don’t particularly care for is the fact that I would need to buy a separate Quad Lock phone case and a Quad Lock mount ($40 and $28, respectively) should I want to dock my phone to the scooter, so I can use the Apollo app to see things such as directions and real-time stats. It’s important to have a case for your phone, but I’m not thrilled with the idea of having to buy a new case and mount just for my scooter.

This is also a little bit of a nitpick, but the Explore's folding and locking mechanism is a bit finicky. To secure the handlebars to the deck, you have to extend a tab on both the deck and the downtube (not always easy, especially if you're wearing gloves.

Bottom line

The Apollo Explore 2 is yet another well-built model that should please those looking for a mid- to upper-range electric scooter, especially if you live in a hilly area, or have less-than-ideal roads. While it’s not my favorite model, it is worth buying.

If you don’t have as many hills to climb, I would suggest checking out the Segway E3 Pro. It has a less powerful 400W motor, but it's less expensive, 20 pounds lighter, and includes niceties like turn signals and Apple FindMy. It typically costs $599, but we’ve seen it as low as $529. But, if you want something with a little more oomph and can get it at around $850, the Explore 2 is worth checking out.