IOL Tech’s Michael Sherman got to experience the thrill of the McLaren-collaborated Pure Electric scooters, offering a fun and easy ride with speeds up to 25km/h, perfect for quick commutes in estates or complexes. Picture: Michael Sherman/IOL
Image: Michael Sherman/IOL
As a tech enthusiast, there are few devices or types of products I’ve never tried before, but on Wednesday I finally drove an electric scooter for the first time at Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria.
Initially, I was a little hesitant, trying to work out how to start the thing.
But after about two minutes with the new Pure Electric scooter, I was able to ride around at the full speed of around 20km per hour - apparently you can get up to 25km p/h, but I never managed that on a flat stretch of road.
To be honest, this wasn’t the usual kind of tech that I get excited about, and that was certainly the case ahead of the product launch.
But after a fairly lengthy press conference explaining how the Pure Electric came to South Africa after the brand was started in 2018 by Formula One sensation Lando Norris’s father, Adam, I was ready to test them out with a fair bit of anticipation.
Oh, and one important bit for anyone who is a bit of a petrolhead - the more expensive models of the Pure Electric are called the McLaren models as they have a partnership with the exclusive car manufacturer. It’s also nice to now be able to say I’ve driven a McLaren.
Of course, any petrolhead will also tell you that’s because Norris junior drives for McLaren, so it’s not much of a surprise.
As the product room was unveiled, it was difficult to miss the McLaren supercar in the middle. It was surrounded by the different Pure Electric models, cheapest (R8,999) to most expensive (R24,999).
Finally, it was out onto the mini race track with some sharp corners to test the handling.
I have to say it handled much better than I expected, and as someone who has no experience with these things, I was surprised by how easily I controlled it.
The same can’t be said for the DJI Neo 2 drone, which crashed into the wire-mesh fence on my first ride - but that was the wind and a little bit my fault, not the scooter’s.
Once I confirmed my drone was still alive and well, it was onto the proper race track to put the scooter through its paces.
This is by far the most exciting, and even though I soon got used to riding around at 20km p/h, which made it feel slow, it was still a lot of fun.
That’s the thing about this type of scooter; it’s more for someone who wants a quick way to get around an estate or complex. It’s not really a vehicle you could ride down Sandton Drive, but perhaps the promenade in Cape Town will be just fine.
It’s an exclusive product, to be fair, and even Christian Zanin, Product Manager at Core, whose company will be responsible for distributing and servicing the Pure Electric scooters in SA, says it will be difficult to predict how well the product will sell.
One thing is for sure: I like electric scooters now.