Harry Gibson on February 27, 2023 No Comments
Are you on the market for an electric scooter? But not any electric scooter, but an electric scooter that can deliver quite more than your average commuting scooter? If that is the case, then the Rion RE90 is the right option for you. And we are going to cover that in this article and more.
Recently, there was a huge boom in the industry when Elon Musk started producing electric cars. But Tesla did not make your regular electric car, instead of an electric car that can deliver quite a performance for what you pay. And that is 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. This made shock waves across the industry and many companies tried to follow this example.
More notably Rion. So, if Tesla makes hyper electric cars, Rion makes the hyper electric scooters. These scooters deliver quite a lot for what you pay for. But what is that more exactly? Well, we are going to cover that in detail, we will learn everything you need to know when it comes to electric scooters.
In this article, we are going to learn who is Rion and what is the Rion RE90. We will learn also the specs and the design features of the RE90. Then we will learn more about the engineering that went into this scooter and what batteries and controllers it is using. Then we will cover the cost to purchase this scooter and also the alternatives that are out there. So, follow along.
Who Are Rion Motors?
If you are not an electric scooter enthusiast, you have probably never heard of Rion. That’s why we are going to give you some input on them to keep you up to date. Because you need to learn more about this company to trust their scooters.
Rion Motors is a small company in the US. Their business is focused on making quality electric scooters. More precisely, they are focusing on hyper electric scooters. This means that their scooters are rated far beyond anything else on the market in terms of speed. Let’s say, they are the Bugatti of electric scooters.
And trust me, this comparison is pretty much correct because their scooters are damn quick. Later in the article, we are going to see how quick they really are.
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They unveiled their first model in early 2014 and since then they are built upon this success and try to deliver more and more with each new release.
They are innovating and adding new features to their lineup of scooters each day so it’s a bit difficult to be on track. And for the sake of simplicity, we are going to focus solely on the Rion RE90 in this article.
More about Rion Motors, you can learn on their official Facebook page and also on their website. Now let’s discuss the Rion RE90 and learn more about this model and what does it offer and why it could be your next hyper scooter.
What Is The Rion RE90?
As we mentioned, Rion is producing hyper scooters. These hyper scooters are designed to go fast if you didn’t know. But how fast? At hyper speeds, much faster than your regular Xiaomi scooter.
But isn’t this dangerous? Well, it is, to be honest. But the engineering that went into these scooters and the upgrades they received made these scooters quite safe in comparison to regular scooters. This scooter, the Rion RE90, has upgraded everything, every bit and piece in this model has been beefed up and the Rion RE90 is quite safer than other scooters.
Also, the hefty battery pack and the wide wheels make it extra drivable at high speeds. But why is this the case? This is the case because the battery is located in the center of the scooter and it’s quite heavy. This lowers the center of gravity and makes the weight distribution 50/50. Also, the bigger and wider wheels make the Rion RE90 extra safe at high speeds.
Remember that electric scooters are extra quiet and they do not produce any noise. So, people around you could not notice you at all. That’s why if you plan to get a hyper scooter, you need to bear this in mind and make sure that you obey the traffic rules in order to avoid accidents.
The RE90 also implements an extremely appealing design that you will not find anywhere else. This design looks like something you will see in a sci-fi movie. Not to mention that the whole body of the RE90 is made out of quality materials that are extremely durable.
As we said the RE90 is a hyper scooter which also puts this scooter price in the hyper category. But let’s first learn the specifications of the RE90.
Rion RE90 Specifications
Although many people would think that this would be the perfect commuter. Rion doesn’t agree with you. They claim that they have designed this scooter specifically with racing in mind. Because some people apparently started racing electric scooters.
That’s why the scooter has a rigid design to accommodate the stress that is created while racing this scooter on the race track. But what are the specs that this scooter is implementing? Let’s find out.
The Rion RE90 weight is only 60 lbs. Which is kinda hefty compared to other scooters. But remember that this scooter is not your regular scooter, the RE90 is a performance scooter. The weight of the scooter also makes your driving quite safer since the scooter has more grip and the center of gravity is low because of the big battery.
This scooter implements two brush-less motors that are extremely powerful and can develop 400 amps of power in comparison to your regular scooter that has a considerably lower output of power.
These engines allow the scooter to reach great speeds of over 80 mph. But what if I told you that this scooter can even push more than that? This scooter’s max top speed is 100 mph but Rion has decided to electronically limit the speed of the RE90 because the scooter simply isn’t safe anymore at these speeds. So, this is a clever move by the company to make sure that their product will not harm the people on board.
In this chapter, we covered the basic specs of the Rion RE90. But in the following chapters, we are going to go more in-depth on the batteries and the suspension that this electric scooter is packing. Since these things matter and are worthy to have a separate chapter.
Dimensions
When buying an electric scooter the dimensions are probably one of the first things that you pay attention to. Since you need to have a compact electric scooter that you can store in your apartment and the scooter will not take too much place and impair you from doing your activities.
Dimension-wise, the Rion RE90 is probably one of the best scooters out there. When folded the Rion RE90 dimensions are 50 inches in length which is excellent. When unfolded the Rion RE90 is 30 inches tall and is 11 inches wide. Pretty compact for a scooter of this size.
As we mentioned before, the scooter is also pretty lightweight and it only weighs 60 lbs. This isn’t much considering the battery power that it packs under the hood. And that is something that we are going to cover in the next chapter where we will learn more about the batteries in this electric scooter.
Battery And Controllers
This scooter is also equipped with powerful batteries. 96.6V 30Ah lithium-ion battery. This powerful battery is packing 30 of the 21700 high-capacity cells that are controlled by a small onboard computer that is installed on the scooter.
On the scooter, there is implemented a battery management system is producing around 400 amps per phase on a 3 phase sequence. This battery management system is allowing a quick acceleration and unmatched performance by any other scooter on the market.
The battery is not swappable, so you will not be able to change the battery if you plan to use the scooter for a long trip. If the battery runs out and you are done, you have to recharge the battery to drive your scooter. This means that you need to plan your range and how much you have left until the battery runs out.
There are also modes that you could choose from. For example, there is a regular mode and a turbo mode. The turbo mode delivers quite a lot more performance but the battery level could quickly drain if you forget yourself. So, you have to pay this in mind.
Rion RE90 Charge Time
The charge time of the Rion RE90 is also excellent. The total charge time from zero to 100% is about four and a half hours. This means that the battery could charge from zero to 100% overnight while you don’t use the scooter.
Or even if you use it to race, you will not have to wait a lot of time in order to recharge the scooter. You can do one ride in the morning and one ride later in the evening.
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The scooter comes with a 10Ah smart charger that will recharge and also protect your battery in case of a malfunction. This means that the battery will be completely safe from fire hazards. The Rion RE90 also includes an optional fast charger. But knowing that with fast charging you can degrade your battery much quicker I wouldn’t recommend using one if you want to use your scooter for a long time and not replace your battery with a new one.
The charger also has an LCD display and tells you how much charge you have and how much charge do you need to get the battery filled with juice. Also, the time that will need for the battery to reach that level. Pretty smart to be honest. Perfect if you want to plan your time ahead.
Tires
Since this scooter aims for performance, it also needs some performance tires. If you want to go 80 mph, you would probably need beefy wheels and tires and a lot of stopping power.
The RE90 is equipped with slick tires, these tires are used on racing applications. This is the case because they deliver quite a lot for what you pay for. They are extra sticky and grippy. Which means that they handle it like a dream.
But it is good to note that these tires are not recommended to be used in wet. If you use them in wet conditions, they will start to slide and you could crash and hurt yourself. That’s why avoid driving your scooter in the wet.
Nevertheless, the tires that this scooter is using are the PMT Slick Racing tires, 90/65/6.5 at the front and 105/50/6.5 at the rear. But what do these numbers mean in the first place?
The first number is the width of the tire 90 at the front and 105 at the rear. This is measured in millimeters. The second number 65 at the front and 50 at the rear means how thick is the sidewall. This is also measured in metric units. And the last is the wheel size which is 6.5 inches.
Brakes
When you have a lot of power, you will also need big brakes that will help you stop this fast scooter. And for this application, Rion went for the Hydraulic Magura MT7 disc brakes for both the front and the rear as well.
These brakes handle exceptionally well and are specifically designed for these hyper scooter applications. This means that there are no similar brakes on the road except yours. Does this affect the serviceability? Probably yes, but you will contact the reseller where you have bought the scooter and they will manage to get you a set of these brakes soon after you have worn the original ones.
During the first two years of ownership, you shouldn’t worry about wear and tear parts. Since they are readily available. But what about the range of the Rion RE90? Well, we are going to cover that in the next chapter.
Range
The range of the Rion RE90 is also one of the best that are out there. And this is owed to the massive battery that the scooter has. As we mentioned, the scooter is using a top-of-the-line lithium-ion battery that has super high capacity rate cells and the total size is rated at 30Ah.
This makes the range of the RE90 extremely good. This scooter achieves to get 19 miles when the scooter is engaged in turbo mode. This means that when the scooter is using all the power at once it only gets 19 to 20 miles on average.
But if you drive your scooter in Eco mode, you could expect a much better battery life. In eco mode, the scooter gets more than 44 miles of range. Which is enough to drive the scooter for a couple of days if you are not doing long commuting.
This range is one of the best out there and there are not many hyper scooters that could match the Rion RE90 in terms of range. Also to note, if you want to extend the life of your battery, it is advised that you don’t drive the scooter in turbo mode very often.
This mode although delivers a lot of performance will take the life out of your battery far quicker than you anticipated and the battery will not going to hold the same charge as it did before.
Load
The load capacity of this scooter is also excellent. The scooter can carry an adult person with no problems. But it still has a limit on how far can go before the frame bends or damage to the internals occur. And that is 242 lbs. Anything more than this could possibly hurt your scooter and cause internal damage to the battery pack or it could twist the suspension.
If this type of damage occurs, it is highly likely that you will not receive a new scooter or repair the existing one under warranty. So, be careful about how heavy you are loading the scooter.
Warranty
Now let’s cover something important and that is the warranty. The warranty of this scooter is similar to other tech products out there. For the scooter, you will get a two-year warranty. But the battery doesn’t go into this warranty.
The warranty for the battery is separate and it’s only 1 year. Also, this warranty doesn’t cover the degradation of the battery. Battery degradation on many EV products is considered normal wear and tear. So, you can expect that after a year that the battery life would shrink a little bit. 30% to 40%, to be honest. And this is not only for scooters, but every product that uses batteries.
The technology is simply not there when it comes to the longevity of these batteries. But in a couple of years. We will probably get there when solid-state batteries will be mass-produced. This is a new battery technology that claims to last far beyond anything that is present right now. But we need to be patient until these new inventions are put into practice. Until then we will rely on lithium-ion as a battery source.
Discounts
If you purchase an RE90 scooter, you will be also eligible for discounts as well. More precisely, the first service after 150 miles would be free of charge. Also, you will get 10% off for wear and tear parts and also a 10% discount if you need a replacement battery after the first year of use.
But to be sure, you will need to contact your vendor first and see what are their terms because these terms are not global. Every vendor has their own terms of how much discount they will offer as well as the warranty terms.
Waiting Time
The waiting list for a Rion RE90 scooter is extremely long. Since Rion is a small company, they cannot match the demand and the average waiting time is more than 150 days. Which is insane! But if you want a hyper electric scooter, I think it’s worth it. Also, the price will scare you as well. But more about that in the next chapter.
Rion RE90 Price
As we said, the waiting time is extra long, and also the cost is extra expensive! A new example of the Rion RE90 will set you back $8,500, which is insane for an electric scooter. But, it is what it is, if you really want this scooter, you will have to wait 150+ days and also pay $8,500 plus the shipping cost, which is somewhere above $300. A big price, for a big scooter!
Alternatives
But if you are in the hyper scooter game, there are also alternatives when it comes to the RE90. Some of these alternatives are also made by Rion. Namely the Rion Thrust, the Rion RE60S, the Dualtron X2, Dualtron Ultra II.
There are a ton of options if you are not looking for that extra edge that the RE90 offers. There are scooters that could be bought for a good price and deliver excellent performance for the money. And most importantly, you could have them right now and not wait more than 150 days for a hyper scooter. But, it’s up to you to decide on what you want to spend your money on.
Electric Scooter Rion RE90 Racing Edition Facts:
- Rion RE90 is an electric scooter and has been called the “World’s Fastest Hyper Production Scooter.”
- The RE90 is a lightweight scooter due to the use of a carbon fiber body and front fender, sub-aluminum front, and rear arms, as well as a carbon fiber pole and handlebar.
- Powering the RE90 is a pair of motors that are powered by a 96.6-volt lithium-ion battery that houses 30 21700 super high capacity rate cells.
- The scooter has a battery management system that produces 600 amps per channel and dual hydraulic disc brakes that are clamped down by Magura carbon calipers.
- The RE90 has PMT racing slick tires for better performance, and it is not built for anything but hyper-performance.
- The Rion RE90 tops out at over 100 mph, but it is governed to only get up to 80 mph.
- The Rion RE90 is expensive, costing $6,800 without shipping.
- The scooter is handmade, and it takes around 90 days to build and ship to the buyer.
- The Rion RE90 is not suitable for everyone, and it is recommended to ride with proper protective gear.
- The Rion RE90 is a high-performance electric scooter that can change people’s perception of scooters being uncool.
Conclusion – Rion RE90
In this article, we have covered a lot when it comes to the Rion RE90. First, we learned who is Rion and what they do. Then we learned the basics of the RE90 scooter and what does it offer. We learned that this is a true hyper scooter that could even reach 80mph which is rather insane for an electric scooter.
Then we covered all of the characteristics of this scooter. We learned the dimensions and the specs in which this scooter is offered. We mentioned the high-tech battery and the powerful brush-less electric motors.
Then we discussed the wheels and tires as well as the brakes. We finally covered what is included in the warranty and how much this scooter is going to set you back. And it is not cheap costing more than $8,500.
Congratulation!