Formula E's new e-scooter substitutes race car speed for comfort and stability

Motorsport organization Formula E has kicked off a new partnership with Zinc Sports by launching the first of several upcoming products: the Zinc Formula E GZ1 electric scooter.

Formula E is best known for championing electric vehicles with its racing series; however, the organization decided to go in a more humble route with the GZ1. For £400 (almost $500), you get a lightweight city cruiser that has a battery range of 13 miles (20 km) and a top speed of 15.5 mph powered by a 250W motor. It’s certainly not greased lightning but at least you’ll be able to go from point A to point B in relative comfort. Zinc Sports goes on to say the GZ1 comes with a “built-in gyroscopic system that regulates speed, absorbs shock, and provides stability to ensure a comfortable ride.” On top of that, the scooter sits on top of nine-inch puncture-proof tires to run over bumps.

Other features

Other notable features include a Smart Energy Recovery System in the battery. It's a regenerative system that uses braking or going downhill to recover some energy.  The scooter has a series of “intelligent lights” that turn on automatically under certain circumstances. Whenever you turn more than 15 degrees, the turn signals will automatically activate to let the people behind you know where you're going. Similar to cars, the GZ1's headlights and tail lights instantly turn on when it detects the sun has gone down. The scooter is also fairly lightweight clocking in at 14.7 kg (about 32 lbs) and can be easily stored thanks to its foldable handlebars. 

The GZ1 e-scooter is currently only available in the UK. However, there are plans for a US release where it'll be sold for $484. It's currently listed as sold out on the American website, but according to a company representative, that will change as soon as the GZ1 is in stock.

Formula E also has plans to launch six other products: a run-of-the-mill kick scooter, two other e-scooters, and three e-bike models. All of these will release periodically throughout 2023, but there are no concrete dates for any of them.

Possible trend

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time a racing team has teamed up with an e-scooter brand. 

Back in early November, the Oracle Red Bull Racing organization revealed the RBS #01. However, instead of being an easy-going city cruiser, this was a suped-up machine with a top speed of 28 mph with a torque of 80 newton-meters for fast acceleration. The mad scientists behind the RBS made it exceptionally tough as it can “withstand 3G of load.” Just be prepared to pay six times the price of the GZ1. 

If you prefer something cheaper and it’s available in the US, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best cheap electric scooters. We recently updated it for any of you last-minute Christmas shoppers.