Two minute review
The YES is Yvolution’s first attempt to enter the ever-popular electric scooter market. And the Dublin-based company didn’t just copy what worked well for others; instead, it designed one of the smartest electric scooters we’ve seen in a while, combining vibrant colours, bright lights and the unique Flexpress wooden deck – a real sight to behold.
The scooter is delivered almost pre-assembled; all you have to do is screw in the handles and you are good to go. Operating the YES electric scooter is just as easy as there is only one button to press. The LED display is clear and easy to read, showing all the information you need to know about speed, headlights and more.
Speaking of lights, the Yvolution YES has a five-point safety lighting system with a bright headlight, an equally bright taillight and smaller lights scattered around the Flexpress board. You will be seen on the YES on the street.
And it’s probably best that you’re highly visible, because riding the YES electric scooter is a somewhat dangerous affair. It is limited to 25 km / 15.5 miles like all other e-scooters, but the brakes are electric and quite powerful. Worse, you apply them by pushing a small lever that doesn’t have much resistance, making braking jerky and abrupt. The rear fender can also be used for braking, but that’s oddly connected to the electric brake too, so you’re not much better off using it.
The range is not that bad, but we discovered that you can’t get very far with the Yvolution YES electric scooter on the highest setting, especially if you live in a hilly area. To make matters worse, the battery can cut out without warning, which also disables the electric brake, which isn’t ideal by any means.
The YES Electric Scooter is certainly not the best electric scooter on the market, but hopefully Yvolution will investigate the issues so that the second iteration can handle models from major brands like the Pure Air Pro and co.
Yvolution JA Electric scooter price and availability
The Yvolution YES electric scooter is now directly for sale at Yvolution (opens in new tab) (retailer link) for a suggested retail price of $599 (about £494 / AU$862). The scooter is only sold in the US, where Yvolution offers free delivery on all orders over $40 for the mainland US. The company currently sells only one type of electric scooter.
Design
- Very eye catching
- Comfortable grip
- Maple wood deck
Design score: 5/5
The Yvolution YES electric scooter is breathtakingly beautiful; one of the main reasons we agreed to give it a try. It comes in a variety of bold color choices, including the tested Night Sky version which is more navy blue if you ask us, but still looks stunning in real life.
Starting from the top, the first thing you notice is the large headlight unit and handlebar. The former is housed in a plastic case, but feels sturdy enough; that last one is the softest thing you’ve ever touched. The handles are made of a soft, cork-like material that is very comfortable to hold. Our only criticism is that while it’s easy to screw them on, make sure you don’t turn them too much while driving as they could unwind.
You’ll find two bag hooks on the handle, which is a nice thought, but a bit useless in this case. We had bags that jumped off the hooks when we hit bumps in the road, which isn’t great when you’re on the road trying to stay clear of oncoming traffic. An option in the form of a carabiner may be safer.
The main attraction is under your feet – the Flexpress wooden board. This is as fantastic as it looks in the pictures and gives the feeling of riding a skateboard, not an electric scooter. Yvolution described the Flexpress as a ‘floating maple deck’ that comes with an ‘innovative ‘Flexxpress technology’ that absorbs bumps and shocks’.
Now, in reality, the Flexpress doesn’t replace full-fledged suspension units, but it does offer some comfort, which is necessary because the puncture-proof tires are as tough as a walnut. We didn’t mind though, in exchange for the peace of mind that we won’t get a flat tire anyway.
Portability
- Foldable
- Three riding modes
- Immovable bag hook a problem
Portability rating: 3/5
The Yvolution YES electric scooter is foldable, making it easier to carry on and off public transport. We use the train to commute between cities, and carrying the YES was never a problem, although we wouldn’t call it lightweight (it’s about 15.5kg/34Lb).
One minor issue is the position of the lower bag hook, which is in the area where the scooter’s balance point is when folded up; not ideal if you have to carry it up and down the stairs at the train station. We would appreciate a carrying strap or similar on the scooter so that it can be thrown on the shoulder.
According to the video on the Yvolution website, you can also tow the scooter behind you, which is probably less taxing on the poor, but makes maneuvering in high-traffic areas a bit more difficult. It is an option.
There are three riding modes, one of which is walking and helps you push the scooter more easily even when you are not sitting on it. You can activate this by pressing the main action button twice until the console displays the number ‘1’.
Battery
- Not quite as advertised
- Will abort without warning
Battery Rating: 2.5/5
As mentioned above, the Yvolution YES electric scooter has three riding modes: walking (6 kmh / 3.7mph), mid-speed (18 kmh / 11.2 mph) and max-speed (25 kmh / 15.5mph). On paper, the scooter has a range of 25 kilometers, but in reality that may only be the case if the road surface you are riding on is as smooth as butter and there are no hills.
In our experience, the YES scooter had a range of less than 5 miles at maximum speed, although we have to admit that the area we used can be quite hilly. That said, the scooter is supposed to handle hills up to 14% gradient, and none of the hills we climbed are more than that.
Oddly enough, when it decides it’s time to shut down, the battery shuts down without warning. All you feel is the loss of power, look down and the screen is off. This happened several times on our way back home from the train station, around the 4 mile mark on a full battery.
That battery is a 20-cell lithium-ion 36V 7.5Ah battery that powers a 350W (500W max) motor – should be enough to handle a few hills. It takes about 4-5 hours to charge it from 0-100% which would be fine if it didn’t stop after 20-25 minutes of driving time per day.
To drive
- Pleasant on flat surfaces
- Flat-free tires
- Electric brake is too powerful and laggy
Driving experience rating: 2.5/5
Which brings us nicely into the next part: the driving experience. Again, on paper, the Yvolution YES electric scooter should provide an excellent driving experience, thanks to its safety features, electric brake and the ‘floating’ Flexpress board. The stem also rises quite high, so it is comfortable to drive the scooter even if you are tall (I’m 1.80).
In reality, while it is not impossible to ride the YES scooter well, it is far from a smooth experience, especially in the beginning. The main hurdle to overcome is the electric brake – it’s a little laggy and way too powerful. Once the button is pressed, the brake engages a little later, but almost at full power, making it difficult to figure out how to use them properly.
We found that the best way to slow down was to speed up only when necessary and to watch for signs in the distance that might force you to slow down. Before you brake, shift your center of gravity further back, pulling the scooter almost backwards so that the braking force doesn’t cause you to fall forward.
Certainly not the most ideal way to travel.
Despite the floating deck, the Yvolution YES scooter offers a bumpy ride thanks to the solid tires. The deck can only handle so much vibration and the scooter vibrates on most surfaces, at least when we were riding it.
Another curious thing we noticed was that although you can’t turn the scooter off while it’s in motion, even the smallest movement is registered as movement. It is therefore possible to push the scooter slightly forward and turn the lever, so that the scooter starts to move. This isn’t a big deal if you’re an experienced rider, but we can imagine beginners losing control of the e-scooter until they learn how to use it.
On the plus side, the YES electric scooter pulls well on flat surfaces, and it’s actually quite fun to ride around town (as long as there are no hills). The turning circle is slightly larger than we’d like, but the high stem and handlebars make the driving experience far from unpleasant. And thanks to the puncture-proof tires, you also get a sense of security.
