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The last time I was on a Varla electric scooter, it was a fun and recreational ride. Not a powerhouse, but an exhilarating ride, nonetheless. This time, they’ve stepped things up significantly with the new Varla Eagle One V2.0 electric scooter. With two powerful motors and dual suspension, this ride is seriously high-performance!
Varla Eagle One V2.0 video review
Varla Eagle One V2.0 tech specs
- Motors: Dual 1,000 W continuous motors (1,600W peak)
- Battery: 52V 20.8Ah (1,082 Wh)
- Top speed: 40 mph (64 km/h)
- Range: Claimed 42 miles (67 km) in lower power mode
- Weight: 82 lb (37 kg)
- Load capacity: 330 lb (150 kg)
- Brakes: Dual hydraulic disc brakes
- Tires: 10×3.5″ tubeless pneumatic tires
- Suspension: Front and rear swingarm suspension
- Charge time: 5-10 hours (Single vs dual chargers)
- Extras: Five electric gears/speeds, NFC card for starting, side kickstand, headlight, taillight, LED speedometer and battery meter, fenders, IP54 water-resistant rating, strong folding clamp and clasp
Fast and fun… and affordable!
At its MSRP of US $1,799 (and current sale price of $1,599), the Varla Eagle One V2.0 is of course much more expensive than your typical Amazon electric scooter. But then again, it offers much more performance while undercutting the price of some of the even fancier name-brand options from leading electric scooter companies like Apollo.
Varla’s scooters can’t hope to match the fancy features and impressive phone apps of leaders like those, but they’re getting surprisingly good for a fast and powerful mid-market electric scooter.
For example, they come with NFC cards now for extra security. A thief isn’t going to be able to steal and start your scooter without the NFC card you’ve got securely in your pocket. Just swipe that baby and you’re ready to rock and roll at up to 40 mph (64 km/h)!
Yes, that’s right. You read that correctly. Speeds of up to 40 mph are no joke on an electric scooter, and so I recommend suiting up properly with closed shoes or boots, a proper full-face helmet, crash jacket or other padded protective clothing, and just about anything else that you’d want between you and asphalt scraping along your body on 40 mph. As they say, “dress for the slide, not for the ride.”
As it stands, I don’t really ride the scooter that fast very often because it just isn’t that necessary for me. If you’ve got a long commute on the side of a 40 mph road, then this is a great feature to have. High-speed capability is nice. My parent’s minivan can theoretically do 100 mph. It’s never been necessary, but I guess it’s nice to know it can do it?
That’s sort of the philosophy I have with electric scooters. I don’t really push them into the 40’s that often. And frankly, 25-30 mph (40-48 km/h) is plenty for most urban applications. But if you ever need it, the speed is there waiting for you.
What’s more likely to benefit you on a daily basis is the power. With a pair of 1,000W motors that put out 1,600W of peak power, you’ve got 3.2 kW of power under the soles of your shoes. That requires some serious responsibility on the part of the rider since you can easily get yourself into sticky situations with that much power, but it’s super fun as long as you can trust yourself to go easy on loose and slippery surfaces.
The dual suspension design of the scooter means that you can take power off-road to get in some fun dirt and grass shenanigans.
Let’s get real though: very few people buy an electric scooter for purely off-road use. Most people who own off-road electric scooters still put a fairly high number of tarmac miles on them, too. So it’s great to see that the Varla Eagle One V2.0 works just as well in the bike lane as it does on the single track.
The suspension definitely adds some great cushioning off-road, but that same effect means you can hit potholes and curbs with much more confidence than you would on a cheaper, non-suspension scooter.
And when it comes time to stop, you’ve got those powerful hydraulic disc brakes bringing you back to zero quickly and surprisingly effortlessly.
The build quality is pretty good here too, though of course it’s not as slick as the more expensive name-brand companies. I definitely have to compliment the folding setup. It’s got a powerful clasp that works great to keep the scooter folded when you need to carry it (though it’s 82 lb and so you won’t want to carry it).
That clasp also doubles as a secure bag clip so you don’t have to dangerously hang your shopping bag off the handlebars or your elbow.
When it’s time to open the scooter back up from its folded position, you release the clasp, and then you tighten the stem clamp to hold the stem in its upright position. Then there’s a safety in the form of a steel pin that physically prevents the stem from folding, even if the clamp were to somehow vibrate completely loose.
And of course you’ve got that big 1,082 Wh battery beneath you to offer some seriously long-range riding. They claim over 42 miles (67 km), but don’t expect to get that much unless you ride slowly.
Even at faster speeds though, 25-30 miles is definitely achievable. And most people won’t be riding at top speed all the time, so you’re going to get some pretty darn good range from that big battery.
Sum it up for me
Here’s my takeaway message: This isn’t the most refined or attractive scooter, but it’s got good bang for your buck. It’s a fast and powerful solution with a big battery for long-range riding. The suspension feels good and the folding is actually well-designed.
At this price, I feel like you’re getting a great deal in terms of a highly capable electric scooter for both on-road and off-road riding. The performance is there, that’s for sure.
If you want fancier features like tracking, phone apps, custom displays, and more, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But if all you want is a fast, powerful, and comfortable electric scooter for higher-performance operation, you can’t really go wrong with the Varla Eagle One V2.0.
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