Remember when the media panicked a bit over eScooters from startups that could fly down Santa Monica Boulevard at 17.5 mph, instead of the advertised 15 mph? They’ve got nothing on this; the Bo Turbo was developed by a team made up of ex-Williams Formula One engineers with a stat sheet that would make a Tesla blush.
What are we talking about here? It’ll out-accelerate a Tesla, at least for a while, has enough battery power (1,800Wh) to go around 150 miles on a charge if you don’t drive too fast, and a top speed of over 100 mph when you do drive too fast. If that’s not impressive enough, the target for this project was to achieve a higher power-to-weight ratio than a Bugatti Veyron, which this supposedly has, thanks to its 24,000W of power.
I had a chance earlier this week to drive the non-Turbo version of the Bo scooter, also known as the Bo Model-M, and was impressed with its Vespa-like monocoque-style chassis and high level of stability. Along for the ride was CEO Oscar Morgan, an ex-Williams engineer. While he was excited to have me try the Bo M, he also couldn’t wait to tell me about this specific scooter.
His point was simple: This is a mostly unregulated market in a lot of places, so why not build the wildest scooter you possibly can?
“Our passion is elite vehicle engineering, and we are firm believers in the human spirit of adventure. The UK already has a proud history in this pursuit with the first car to pass 100mph, then Thrust SSC taking the Land Speed record in Nevada,” explained Morgan. “I guess you could say the UK has a proud history of crazy Brits constructing vehicles that ought not be possible.”
I’ll have a microreview of the Bo M coming next week, but I couldn’t wait to tell you about the Turbo, and neither could Morgan. The team at Bo is a mix of ex-Williams F1 folks and engineers who worked on the Bloodhound World Land Speed Rocket car, so there’s an inevitability to this. While the company has been diligently working on selling high-end scooters to car geeks (Morgan told me the scooter is for people who have a “C63 AMG in the garage” but don’t want to bring it out just to drive two miles to the gym), they’ve also had this wild side project.
For 18 months, the team has been developing this scooter in secret with a target of being the fastest scooter in the world. It starts with the monocoque chassis, which they call the “monocurve.” The company says it has the ability to take a peak load of 1,400 pounds, the equivalent of three Harley-Davidsons. Having driven it over cobblestones in Lower Manhattan, I believe it.
“Working in motorsport I heard a phrase ‘Racing Improves The Breed,’ said Morgan. “As The Turbo development progressed, we realised that we were creating a monster. The Turbo called upon all of our prior experience from the world of Formula One Advanced Engineering, and we identified there was the potential to do something unique and exciting in this sector: the fastest e-scooter in the world, perhaps even a Tesla-beater.”
Obviously, they aren’t handing out 100 mph scooters to just anyone, so the Turbo gets numerous upgrades, including twin motors and controllers with more than 300A of peak current and a bigger battery setup. The company says that at full power, it’s the equivalent of fast-charging 1,500 iPhones… at the same time.
The scooter also uses a version of the company’s Safesteer system, which utilizes custom torsion springs tuned to make it feel like you’re piloting a scooter with larger wheels. In my experience with the smaller version of this, it felt like the scooter was able to maintain a course much easier than the cheap-o one I bought off of Amazon for $200.
I’m not sure I’d be the first one to ride this, though, and in testing at Goodwood, the engineers used BMX racer Tre Whyte as the guinea pig/test rider.
This isn’t just a concept; the company says it’ll make you one $29,500 if you meet the qualifications as a rider (presumably, that you have some experience and won’t sue them). If that’s you, go to their site and prove you are worthy. To quote the great Garth Algar, I am not worthy.
Photos: Bo
defining “Stupid Fast”
Definetely, a fast way to die…
And depending where the rider was at the moment it happens, a fast way to kill too!
I am constantly shocked at the bravery of folks who ride scooters like this on the street. There is a parkway near my house where I am constantly passed by people on scooters doing 60+mph (the speed limit is 45mph), so I can only imagine how bad these things would be in the hands of such daredevils.
Live fast…check
Die young…check
Leave a good looking corpse…not on this thing!!
The Hyabusa of scooters. Yikes!
Younger, impulsive me who has gleefully ridden a proper motorcycle past 100MPH on multiple occasions: “Sign me up!”
Older, wiser me who has somehow survived (mostly) intact for over half a century in spite of my younger self’s antics: “Oh hell no!”
I kept reading this as the “BM”, which I imagine happens involuntarily on these a lot
This is the best deal, the power or 1500 iPhones at the cost of only 30 iPhones! Guaranteed to thrill you (and kill you) in the blink of an eye!
I’d like a better understanding of the physics of out dragging a Tesla standing up on a short wheelbase. Are they saying the power to weight alone means they’re faster but it’s just theoretical, or can you actually hit full throttle on one of these from a standstill and not just immediately flip over backwards? I’m thinking the former. Which honestly is perfect for their target demographic, pointing at it in their garage firing off nerdy stats but when it comes time to hit the gym two miles away they roll out the C63 AMG anyway.
Acceleration and top speed are going to be hugely influenced by the weight and the aero resistance of the rider, even far worse than a jockey on a horse.
The weight ratio of rider:vehicle on a motorcycle is probably in the most extreme examples between 1:1 and 1:12. Rider mass is less important than bike mass, for acceleration, or at most equal with a heavy rider on a 250. Here it may be 2:1.
Top speed at speeds around 100 is a matter of power overcoming aero drag. The scooter is pretty inconsequential compared to the rider here.
Find me a rider who is fifty pounds, to put some traction to the rear wheel, and who could fit in the shadow of the vertical column. Are there any super skinny and expendable four year olds around? It goes 115 now!
Remember pee-wee Gleason?
Seems like a rather expensive way to kill yourself.
This sounds like fun at a 1/8 mile dragstrip. Can’t be sketchier than a motorcycle. Suit up and hit the juice lever!
I ride sports bikes. The idea of riding something with those tiny wheels and no suspension terrifies me.
Back in my day scooters were just capable of distroying your shins and ankles.
And we LIKED it!!
I live within two miles of three small universities. Given the scooter-based mishaps I have seen on an average Thursday night, I can’t imagine what would happen by adding an extra 85mph. I could set up a doorbell cam and retire selling the video to FailArmy.
I have a scooter what hits 18mph. I live in the suburbs, so I only ride on normal roads to the grocery store and the like, and it’s pretty hilly so I’d love a little extra oomph, but this might be a bit too much.
Remember folks, the difference between “crazy” and “eccentric” is money.
Anyone who can afford one of these things is certifiably eccentric.
I still wanna give it a go, though.
I want to graduate to “eccentric”.
Coming to a crowded pedestrian walkway near you.
Everybody dies of something. Why not show up to the pearly gates tumbling to a stop, broken and covered in road rash. You can look St Peter in the eye and say “Betcha nobody ever showed up here after hitting 100mph on a scooter before! Did you see that lil’ kick flip I did right before I crashed? What a ride!!!”
$30K? Anyone who buys one of these should probably worry about relatives suggesting involuntary commitment.
According to the very official physics theorem that I made up, how fast a vehicle feels increases proportionally to the sketchiness of said vehicle. Doing 100mph on a scooter is probably the closest thing a human can experience to traveling the speed of light.
You are not wrong.
There are technically scooters and then there are scooters.
My ADV 160 has a 14″ front tire and a 13″ rear tire. Its Vmax is around 70 mph and I have had mine up to 65 and it’s not sketchy at all at that speed. Its windshield and side panels do an admirable job of deflecting the air.
The thought of doing 100 on something like that with wheels that small and unfaired is terrifying.
I don’t know what assisted suicide costs. Maybe this thing is less expensive.
I’m pretty sure it feels like Ludicrous Speed. The rider is in plaid when they fly by, regardless of the original outfit choice.
Um.
What?
That’s awesome!
Not that I could afford it, nor qualify to ride it, but that’s gonna be a hard pass from me. I’ll leave this to the Travis Pastranas of the world.
I’m not sure I’ve seen a bigger middle finger to Charles Darwin this year.
…When can I test one?
I was just going to post “Mercedes! Don’t do it!!”
Cobblestones are one thing. Potholes are another.
Counterpoint: do it, Mercedes!! Think of the clicks!!
Death in search of clicks. That is NOT how I want to go.
But, if it sounds like fun to you, go for it.
Forget the clicks, I just want to hit warp speed on tiny tires!
I cannot imagine who would be a better candidate! Let’s crowdfund this thing!!!
Having launched myself off my 15mph Ninebot Scooter when there was a small downed tree in the path while out-driving the headlight at night, I have no desire to ride anything like this ever. My shoulder wasn’t quite right for like 6 months. It was unpleasant and having to explain all the scrapes on my face to everyone afterwards was fairly embarrassing too.
This thing is truly a dumb way to die.
At least it would be super easy to bail off cleanly, just strap some metal skid plates to yourself and avoid anything like trees.
I have a rule of thumb that says “never drive faster than you can sprint on anything with wheels smaller than your hands.”
I just made that up. But it works.
I have small hands. we’re good to go!
I figured that out a long time ago, but it’s remarkable how fast you can run if you find yourself in an upright position moving horizontaly over a surface. It’s simply a matter pushing away at the ground frequently enough to maintain your vertical position while keeping your feet more or less lined up between your center of mass and vector of acceleration, without braking your legs. Easy! Well except for the breaking your legs part. Sometimes it’s better to roll. I once split my tibia lengthwise from the ankle to a couple inches from the knee, but I was only going maybe 10mph and straight legged.
100mph, standing up, on tiny 8″ wheels must be absolutely frigging terrifying. This is obviously made for far braver souls than me.
The company says it has the ability to take a peak load of 1,400 pounds, the equivalent of three Harley-Davidsons.
More like two…
Or 1.5.
.9 if you count the rider.
Why do you think they called them hogs?