In a Nutshell:
Recommended For: This is definitely a niche product, recommended for users weighing no more than 250 pounds who are looking for a machine for indoor use only.
Has your mobility issue been getting you down and preventing you from living life to the fullest? Are you looking for a mobility aid to help you reclaim a measure of your freedom? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then our EV Rider automatic folding scooter review may pique your interest.
We’ll be quick to point out that although there are several things we really like about this design, it is extremely narrowly targeted to a smallish slice of the market. If you aren’t a member of the target market for this product, then it’s just not going to be a good fit for you or serve you very well no matter how much you may like it.
In the sections that follow, we’ll tell you everything this design has to offer. We’ll also point out its shortcomings and limitations and the reasons it winds up being so narrowly targeted. That way, you’ll have all the information you need to decide if this is the model you’ve been looking for or if your search for the right scooter must continue. If that sounds good to you, let’s jump right in and take a closer look!
An Overview of the EV Rider Transport AF Auto Folding Scooter
This is a great-looking machine that makes a good first impression. That’s no real surprise because although EV Rider is a smaller company you may not have heard of, they’ve actually been in the business for more than three decades and have an extensive resume of design experience. The Transport AF scooter is a highly polished, excellent example of their work. Even better, if you decide you want one, you can order yours in a modest selection of colors, including:
- Blue
- Copper
- Red
- Or Silver
All are quite handsome, and the Transport AF plus cuts a striking profile.
Looks, however, will only take you so far, so let’s examine in this section of our EV Rider automatic folding scooter review the raw numbers that define the model’s actual capabilities. Here’s a quick overview:
- Overall Product Dimensions: 33.5” L x 16.5” W x 33.5” H (folded dimensions are 30” x 16.5” x 17”)
- Seat Width: 15” W x 12” D
- Seat to Floor Height: 15”
- Turning Radius: 31”
- Top Speed: 3.8 miles per hour
- Range: 6 miles
- Wheel Size: 8” rear, 7” front
- Ground Clearance: 1.4”
- Maximum Slope: 3 degrees
- Chair Weight: 44 pounds
- Maximum Supported Weight: 250 pounds
Some of these numbers are quite good. We love the small footprint, and especially the small folded footprint of this design.
The turning radius is something that the company specifically highlights. We agree that 31” is pretty good, but it’s not best in class. We also wouldn’t define it as one of the transport AF scooter’s signature features.
Even so, with a turning radius that tight, it’s fairly easy to use it in smaller homes and apartments. If you don’t mind executing regular three-point turns, you can even use it inside a larger RV.
That said, these numbers do reveal some serious weaknesses and limitations. The weight limit, for starters. While there’s no formalized industry standard, most of the mobility aids on the market today support three hundred pounds, with many products designed for heavier people supporting far higher weight limits. The EV Rider transport AF auto folding scooter doesn’t rise to that level, marking this as a product built for average-sized or smaller folk.
This is supported by the small dimensions of the seat. At just 15” wide and 12” deep, a significant swath of the market is simply going to find the seat too small to be useful.
There’s also the problem of the range. In a bid to keep the total weight of the EV Rider Auto Fold Plus low, the company only included a single battery, which achieved one goal but at the expense of another.
With a maximum range of just six miles, you’re going to want to be mindful of where the nearest power outlet is at all times.
In addition to that, the top speed is just 3.8 miles per hour. If you’re riding it outside (something the company does not recommend, by the way), you may find that power walkers are outpacing you. But as long as you’re not in a big hurry to get where you’re going, that’s not the end of the world.
The slope handling, or lack thereof, is the real kicker, and, along with the short-range, the real reason you wouldn’t want to use the EV Rider S19AF outside. While most scooters in its class can handle slopes up to six degrees, this one can’t handle anything like that. With not much ground clearance to work with either, using this scooter on anything but flat, level surfaces is going to be a challenge.
As we said, it’s not that these numbers are bad; they simply define a very narrowly focused, tightly targeted product. If you fit the parameters described above, then you’re probably going to love this model.
If you don’t, it’s just not going to work for you.
Adjustability and Comfort
Unfortunately, this isn’t a particularly strong component of our EV Rider transport auto folding scooter review.
The model is not only optimized for average-sized and smaller folk, it’s also optimized for convenience, especially when traveling. Sadly, that means that a few sacrifices had to be made where both adjustability and comfort were concerned.
There’s nothing to talk about on the adjustability front. This is strictly a “what you see is what you get” scooter, so you’ll want to take careful measurements of yourself to ensure that you and the scooter are a good fit.
Where comfort is concerned, the chair does fare a bit better, sporting a modest amount of conventional block foam padding covered with vinyl upholstery.
Normally, this would be the part where we talk about how the undersized seat isn’t sufficiently padded and that vinyl isn’t breathable. But here, there’s not much need for either of those observations.
Remember, the EV Rider automatic folding scooter with remote has a very short range. As such, you’re not going to be able to spend several back-to-back hours using it. You’ll use it to get somewhere, then transfer out of its smallish seat to do something else while you’re topping off the charge. This product is definitely not designed for lounging in for extended periods. If you do want to take comfort to the next level, padding is incredibly easy to add. There are a dizzying array of options on offer from third-party vendors.
One final point to make in this section: This is a three-wheeled design. Well, it’s technically got four wheels, but the two on the front are so close together that it’s functionally a three-wheeled design. The chief advantage of that decision is that most three-wheeled scooters have tighter turning radii than their four-wheeled counterparts, but they don’t tend to be as stable.
That’s probably not a deal-breaker for most people, but it may be for some. In either case, it’s something to be mindful of.
Extras and Options
Most smaller companies skimp on extras and accessories, but here, we were pleasantly surprised. We regard this as being one of the stronger points of our EV Rider transport AF scooter review.
The company offers an impressive array of accessories for the products they sell, including:
- A Deluxe Front Tiller Storage Bag
- A Standard Front Tiller Bag
- An Armrest Bag
- A Cupholder
- An Electric Horn (Featuring three different sounds)
- A Car Charging Adapter
- A Safety Belt
- A Safety Flag
- And a Scooter tiller and seat cover set
These are fantastic additions, and there’s a lot here, which means you’ll have all sorts of options to customize and personalize your ride. What you can’t find here, you can almost certainly pick up on the aftermarket. The only one we take issue with is the safety belt. In our view, this should be standard equipment on all mobility aids, but the industry doesn’t agree with our assessment. In any case, it’s offered as an option on the company’s website, and we absolutely recommend it.
The only thing that’s notably absent from the accessories page is an extra S19AF scooter battery. Given that the chair only comes with one, investing in a second battery would be an easy way to double your range. Sadly, that option is not available.
Portability and Ease of Use
This, in our view, is the EV Rider S19AF’s main selling point and other EV Rider AF scooter reviews you might come across on the internet tend to agree. While it’s not the lightest scooter on the market, it’s pretty close to best in class. Also, it’s got such an innovative, convenient folding feature that it’s hard not to love it.
You literally don’t have to do more than push a button to fold the scooter. That’s it. Push a button on the remote, and it folds itself!
Even better, it only weighs in at 44 pounds even with the battery, which makes it lightweight enough that most people will have little or no difficulty picking it up and taking it with them. That, combined with its super small folded footprint, makes it exceptionally travel-friendly.
The only thing to keep in mind is that airlines charge by the pound and that each airline sets its policy in terms of what they allow. So if you’re planning on flying somewhere, you will pay more to bring this little scooter with you than you would, say, an ultralight manual wheelchair. Also, you’ll want to call the airline you plan to fly with just so you don’t have any surprises when you get to the ticket counter on the day of your trip.
Kudos to EV Rider for making such an exceptional travel scooter. We really think you’ll love the convenience of the self-folding feature!
The company also deserves high praise for the ease of use of this design. The controls are simple and intuitive, and it won’t take most people more than five minutes to master the basics. That, combined with its relatively tight turning radius, makes this a winner both in terms of portability and ease of use.
Pros & Cons of EV Rider Transport Auto Folding Scooter
There’s really nothing bad about the design of this little scooter. All of the design decisions were made with two things in mind:
Convenience and portability. As a consequence of several of the design decisions, this model wound up being incredibly narrowly targeted to a very specific segment of the market, making it an almost entirely self-selecting scooter.
EV Rider Automatic Folding Scooter Review Conclusion
We will close this EV Rider automatic folding scooter review by saying that it is a good but almost entirely self-selecting product. Its dimensions are either a good fit for your physique, and the limitations of its capabilities are either in line with how you want to use whatever scooter you buy or not.
If they are, then this model almost certainly belongs on your shortlist of options to consider.
If not, then you’ll give this one a hard pass without even thinking twice about it. On that basis, we provisionally recommend it.
Comparable Products to Consider
If you like the aesthetic of EV Rider’s products, but for whatever reason, the Transport AF+ isn’t a good fit for you, you may want to consider one of the other EV Rider products. The company makes thirteen in all, and they offer something for everyone. Two of our favorites include:
This model is a four-wheel design and is much faster and all-around more capable than the little travel-friendly model. With a top speed of eleven miles per hour, you can get where you’re going in a big hurry on this beast. If you invest in a lift, it’s still reasonably travel-friendly too (for all but air travel).
Consider this to be the Transport AF’s big brother. It’s a sturdier (4-wheeled) design that offers more of everything. More comfort, a faster top speed, slightly more ground clearance, and a significantly improved range. No, it’s not as travel-friendly and you will pay a bit more for it, but it’s an exceptionally designed product that may be a better fit for you.
References & Resources:
- EV Rider, Official Brand Website.
- Difference Between a Three-Wheeled Scooter and a Four-Wheeled Scooter, SpinLife University.
- The Impact of Mobility Scooters on Their Users. Does Their Usage Help or Hinder?: A State of the Art Review, PubMed.gov.
- User Perceptions of Powered Wheelchair Features, Technology, Mind, and Behavior.
- 7 Reasons Why You Should Travel as a Wheelchair User, Sunrise Medical.