Move away, Tesla – there’s a new speed demon with half the number of wheels.
With preliminary testing results of speed exceeding 160km/h, the ‘Turbo’ is aiming to be the fastest e-scooter in the world.
The UK-based scooter start-up, Bo, adapted the chassis from its flagship urban scooter into a high-performance prototype to demonstrate the extreme capabilities of electric propulsion on two wheels.
“We want to do something which everyone can get excited about. And for us, that means pushing the limit as to how fast these vehicles can go,” Oscar Morgan, Bo’s CEO and co-founder, told Euronews Next.
He says the start-up aims to break the speed record for an e-scooter this year.
“The initial aim is to get it over 100 kilometres an hour with the Guinness World Record moderators watching,” Morgan said.
“And my personal aim is I would love to see it go past 200 kilometres an hour,” he added.
He also adds that the Turbo is designed purely for record-setting and is “not made for riding to the supermarket or gym”.
“We're not expecting many people to ride the turbo. It's terrifying, and it's not very safe. But what it does do is it gives people an opportunity to think about these things and to look at what maybe these vehicles are capable of”.
Acceleration close to a Tesla
The company says the electric scooter is so powerful that it could outrun some of the world’s fastest cars from a standstill.
“One of the things that completely caught us out when we were first taking the turbo on track was just how fast it accelerates,” Morgan said.
A Tesla Model 3 Performance can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in about 3.1 seconds, according to Tesla.
Most regular scooters struggle to hit less than 10 seconds.
The shakedown tests are not official records, however, they were carried out by a professional scooter racer, the company says.
“We've done quite extensive testing now. The turbo has been put through its paces, and it hasn't missed a beat. So we're really confident the engineering behind it is top grade,” Morgan said.
With a higher power-to-weight ratio than a Bugatti Veyron, the Turbo has a 1,800Wh battery to travel up to 240km on a single charge.
That’s enough energy to fast-charge around 1,500 smartphones at once, Bo says.
The Turbo wasn’t meant for sale, but Bo is building a small number for approved collectors or riders with a strong use case, with a starting price of €27,500.
The first delivery is already scheduled for 2026, where Madrid’s inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place.
While the Turbo is designed for record-setting, Bo’s road-ready version, the ‘Model-M,’ will hit the market in August 2025, starting in the United States.
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