E-scooter at highway speeds? ZonDoo’s 8kW RoadHitter lives up to its name

ZonDoo recently came out with the RoadHitter, the fastest electric scooter in their lineup and likely one of the fastest electric scooters out there. At a glance, the RoadHitter’s eye-catching 68mph top speed and bright light show make it seem like a ludicrous scooter, fit only for those looking for maximum adrenaline and minimum safety. However, while it can definitely get the heart pumping, it also has a few more features that are worth taking a look at.

The RoadHitter comes with three gear modes that you can cycle through, but the modes that really stood out were the eco mode and dual motor mode, which are accessible with one flick of a switch located near the right-hand thumb. In one instance, you can easily switch into a mode with much more manageable acceleration for scenarios where you would want to avoid abrupt and fast movements. This mode alone gives it more power, around 4kW, as most scooters out there.

However, you can quickly switch to dual motor mode in case you’re looking to get out of a tricky situation fast during hectic traffic commutes. Or maybe you need to climb a really steep hill. Or perhaps you are on an airport runway with a full flack jacket and want to test Zondoo’s 68mph claims against a plane taking off.

Another feature that stands out on the RoadHitter is the incredible range of 70-80 miles on a single charge. While there aren’t that many commutes or coffee runs that would tally up to a distance of more than 70 miles, it is super convenient to be able to make multiple trips before having to charge the battery, especially with a charging time of 6-8 hours via two chargers.

The scooter comes with two powerful 4000W motors, and while ZonDoo does advertise that it can reach 68mph, in the real world, that would be an incredibly shaky and unstable top speed with this scooter. When I brought the scooter up to speeds of around 45 miles per hour on a straight road, the beginnings of very considerable speed wobble made me extremely grateful to know that I was wearing quality motorcycle protective gear.

The scooter had a lot more power and speed to deliver, but without a steering damper, it is hard to see this scooter being brought up to those speeds in any safe manner. With the proper experience and advanced riding skills, I am sure that the RoadHitter could easily reach speeds higher than 45mph without crashing. However, for those who are new to high-powered electric scooters, it may be worthwhile to see if adding an aftermarket steering damper is possible. Or, more realistically, just keep it under 40mph.

So I would say that 8kW of power is good for getting a heavy rider up to 40mph in a hurry or for getting a rider up a steep hill at 40mph – both of these things it can easily accomplish. Leave the 68mph speed for the Super Dave Osbornes of the world.

ZonDoo RoadHitter light show

As for aesthetics, the scooter comes decked out with customizable RGB lights coming from almost every direction, sequential turn signals, and some impressive-looking headlights. All this makes the RoadHitter quite the light show at night. At top speed, you might mistake this for a police car or a few police cars.

The scooter comes with a 72V, 43Ah, or over 3kWh of battery, which brings the total weight to 68-75 kg, depending on whether or not you decide to attach the seat. With this kind of weight, the scooter becomes quite difficult to carry up and down stairs. So if you’re looking to commute and carry the scooter for a portion of the trip, at some point, that weight might be a factor in your buying decision.

It folds fairly easily, and you can put this in the back of an SUV, but I’d recommend getting a friend to help – a very buff friend.

As for the riding experience, the 13-inch all-terrain tires combined with an adjustable rear suspension made for a very comfortable ride, even on roads with poor conditions.

Those looking to commute through heavy traffic should know that while the scooter does have great lights and a bulky visual profile, cars still seem to have a hard time spotting it on the road, which leaves you having to depend heavily on the horn. The horn is certainly loud enough for paths, but for traffic where cars are going 30 or so miles an hour, the horn could be a bit louder. Maybe there should be two levels of horn as well.

One thing fortunately done incredibly well was the brakes. These front and back hydraulic brakes stop this heavy scooter almost immediately.

City Dwellers’s Take

Look, we’re not going to BS you here: This is a super-dangerous scooter and, put into the wrong hands, could injure the rider. Scooters simply aren’t meant to go this fast.

But we aren’t your parents, and if you want the fastest accelerating and steepest-hill-ascending scooter out there, you’ve found your scooter. For us, the review was mostly about seeing what happens when you put 8kW on a scooter. Now we know.

The big takeaway here is that all of this battery and motor might be put to better use in a Vespa-type scooter or light motorcycle format.

Overall, the RoadHitter was plenty of fun to ride at reasonable speeds and offers great range and comfort, along with a light show for those looking to commute without having to carry the scooter up and down many flights of stairs.

Get the RoadHitter: Amazon ($200 off at $2800) Or Zondo direct