WATT JUST HAPPENED?

Who decided a go-kart track was the best place to test a family e-scooter?

- Manaal Mahatme

A puncture, harrowing traffic, and an hour-long cab ride with a drowsy driver later, I finally reached the hotel — only to find that I’d missed the briefing. Before I could catch my breath, I was whisked away onto a bus for yet another long commute, this time to a go-kart track to experience the Suzuki e-Access. Riding scooters — even the electric ones — on a track wasn’t entirely new to me, but it still felt like an odd setting for a family scooter. Then again, its fuel-sipping petrol counterpart did earn a reputation as a bit of a sleeper. Maybe this one will, too.

Before we hit the track, we were given a demonstration on how to operate the scooter. How hard could it be, right? It’s just a scooter, after all. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. First, the key fob had to be activated by pressing a button and waiting for a green light. Only then would the ring around the multi-function knob glow blue, allowing me to turn the scooter on. After that, it was the familiar brake-and-starter-button combo to get moving — but not before selecting one of two ride modes: Ride Mode A or Ride Mode B. The difference between the two modes was just the level of regenerative braking — Mode A had a stronger (2 kW) regen and Mode B had a milder (1 kW) regen. Suzuki didn’t want the varying regens to take the rider off-guard, so decided to give the option of switching between Eco and one of the ride modes but toggling between Ride A and B required a complete stop.