Apollo Phantom - Should You Wait To Buy It?
The scooter in the cover photo is the Apollo Pro - not the Phantom. Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about our upcoming release. The purpose of this post is to help you figure out if you should hold off on buying a scooter from the current line up or not. As of late June, we are finalizing the first prototype so there will be no specifics revealed here. As soon as we have a tested product we are confident in, more information will be shared.
1. Timeline: pre-orders to open in August/September with delivery by November/December.
First generation scooters are tricky - usually they are no good. Lucky for us, we are working with a design group that brings 10 years of scooter manufacturing experience to the table. That said, we are still playing it safe and buffering a few months for testing and iterative improvements. We realize Christmas delivery is not ideal as you will have missed the riding season, but we would rather deliver a solid product by Christmas than a poor one by September. If you are urgently looking for a scooter to ride this summer, we recommend not waiting for the Phantom. The Explore and Pro remain great alternatives to the Phantom and will continue to be sold after the Phantom has been released.
2. Performance: more than the Explore, less than the Pro.
The Phantom will not replace any scooters in the current line up. It will add an extra option for those looking for something more than the Explore, but a bit less than the Pro. What we can confirm is that the Phantom will feature dual 800W motors with a 52V 18aH battery. It will also come in a 60V 21aH variant. It will feature 10 inch tubeless tires. We are aiming for 45-55lb total weight of the scooter and 300lb max load. We're testing out new suspension, different from that of the Apollo Pro. The display is being designed from scratch, previously unseen in the industry. Perhaps most importantly, the Phantom will be the one of the first high-performance scooters to feature an electric brake with performance comparable to that of the Boosted Rev. This is all to say that the Explore will remain the best value on the market (spec to price ratio) and the Pro will continue to be the most powerful scooter in the line-up. The Phantom will be a big jump up from the Explore and a big jump down from the Pro - it will sit in that sweet spot, similar to the Zero 8X or Kaboo Mantis. We are also leveraging the knowledge and insights gathered in the last 3 years of being in the scooter business, to ensure we're bringing the best possible product to market.
3. Price: target price of $1599USD
When compared to scooters in the $1500-1700 price range, the Phantom will offer the best bang for buck. We are staying true to our core principle of offering the best value for money and while the final price might change as we finalize what features to offer, it will be around $1599USD. Early bird discounts will be offered to the first 1,000 customers who choose to pre-order it with us.
So should you hold off to get the Phantom? It will be the best scooter we've ever made, hands down. That said it will not arrive until December and realistically it's targeting a niche between two great scooters. If you've been eyeing the Explore, the Phantom will not make you regret the purchase. The Explore will still remain our best selling single motor scooter. However, if you like the idea of the Pro, but feel that it's too large and heavy and would like a more compact version of it with added features, then the Phantom might be a good idea.
