The ridiculously fun WideWheel electric scooter is back with upgraded brakes

One of our favorite electric scooters of the year has been the WideWheel electric scooter from FluidFreeRide.

The WideWheel electric scooter sports dual 500 W motors for 1,000 W of continuous power (though a single motor option is also available).

It also houses those motors in its distinctive extra-wide tires that offer plenty of off-road and drifting opportunities.

They aren’t pneumatic tires, but the WideWheel scooter includes both front and rear swing-arm suspension, meaning it’s comfortable to ride on nearly any terrain, which we’ve tested, of course. And with a range of well over 20 miles (32 km), it is designed to handle longer commutes as well as shorter hops.

Where did the WideWheel electric scooter go?

The WideWheel was one of the hottest-selling electric scooters on the market until last month when the US distributor, FluidFreeRide, discovered that a few models had an issue with their disc brake calipers. The team traced it back to a few improperly assembled disc brake calipers that unknowingly made it out of the factory. Out of an abundance of caution, FluidFreeRide temporarily issued a WideWheel electric scooter advisory and halted sales.

Ultimately, FluidFreeRide decided to send out free brake replacement kits to all customers and ensure that all of its present and future inventory sported proper brake calipers. With the right hardware in place, the scooter is now back on the market.

The 25 mph (40 km/h) scooters aren’t the cheapest options out there, costing $1,099 for the dual motor or $999 for the single motor scooter. But based on our own reviews, the scooters are much more rugged than your typical entry-level electric scooter and are likely to last a lot longer.

You can see our review of the WideWheel electric scooter from earlier this year here, or watch the review video below:

Electrek’s Take

I’ve ridden and reviewed a pretty crazy number of electric scooters at this point.

And while the WideWheel isn’t the fastest, most powerful, or most affordable, it’s always seemed like the Goldilocks option of being juuuuust right in each of those categories. 1,000 W of power spread across two motors with plenty of tread for traction makes the WideWheel scooter a great commuter and utility vehicle. The 25 mph (40 km/h) speed is fast enough to be convenient without being so fast that it risks getting people in over their heads quickly. And at around $1,000, it’s about twice as expensive as a cheap, budget electric scooter, yet goes faster, farther, and lasts longer, too.

So I’m glad to see that the scooter has been tested and approved with a clean bill of health (and safety) to get back out into the hands of the public.

I honestly feel that these types of electric scooters are a big part of changing the transportation conversation in many cities. While Bird and Lime scooters have helped demonstrate the effectiveness of scooters, the sharing programs seem suspiciously unsustainable. With many scooters lasting just a few months before being tossed out, the unit economics often don’t make sense. But when commuters own their scooters, they inevitably treat them better, resulting in safer scooters that last longer and are more sustainable. That further encourages adopting lightweight, efficient personal electric vehicles. And more people on small, two-wheeled electric vehicles is the best way to decongest and clean up our cities.