Terror of e-scooters rigged to hit 40mph
Fear of road chaos over ‘hacks’ to boost top speed
ELECTRIC scooter owners are offering online guides showing users how to override the devices’ speed-limiting software to reach up to 40mph.
A Mail on Sunday investigation unearthed dozens of video tutorials encouraging riders to manipulate the battery-powered vehicles and break the law.
In one clip, a British rider promises viewers their scooter will ‘go like a rocket’. ‘I don’t think you would feel safe going any faster but it’s so much fun,’ he adds.
Rental e-scooters were made legal on some roads in Britain this summer with their speed capped at 15.5mph. But our investigation has revealed how owners can easily increase the top speed of some of the most popular scooters sold in the UK.
One British e-scooter owner, Dave Samuel, released a video showing viewers how to ‘unlock’ the Inokim OXO Electric Scooter, a popular model on sale in the UK for £1,300.
‘I’m making this video on how to derestrict the scooter from its factory setting of 15mph to full blown 40mph,’ he says, before giving detailed, step-by-step instructions about how to remove the limiter.
In a separate video, another Briton, Duncan Smith, reveals how to ‘hack’ the top speeds for the Xiaomi M365 scooter, another popular model available for £469 in Halfords.
‘By unlocking the scooter, by which I mean the speed limit that’s on it, you can go a little bit faster. I say a little bit faster but I mean this scooter will go like a rocket,’ he says.
In the clip, which sees Smith whizzing along public pavements – which is illegal – and weaving between young children, he explains how users can reach top speeds of 22mph.
‘Once you release the speed limiter on this thing it feels like a proper little rocket. I don’t even think you would feel safe going any faster but it’s so much fun.’
Luke Griggs, Deputy Chief Executive of brain injury association Headway, said: ‘The production of such videos is irresponsible and is likely to lead to severe injuries and possibly fatalities. Tragically, it is not just the riders that will be placed in danger, it is innocent members of the public.’