Howdy folks! My name is Tyson Roehrkasse and today I'm showing you an electric scooter from Hiboy. Hiboy makes quite a few scooter models to suit different use cases. Want to see the other ones? Check out all our Hiboy reviews here. Today’s subject, the ECOM 14, is all about comfort and utility! It’s a seated scooter that feels surprisingly comfortable, and while you can switch it to standing mode… why would you? This scooter isn’t meant for off-roading and it isn’t a speed demon, so you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.
The ECOM 14’s design has a rugged, “rough around the edges” feel to it. The frame is thick aluminum alloy without any fancy branding or colors, with solid black wheels and accessories. It’s not meant to be a head turner; rather, it’s simply meant to be useful. It’s certainly one of the more useful scooters I’ve tested thanks to the sturdy rear rack and basket that are included at no extra cost. This makes hauling cargo a breeze, and while Hiboy doesn’t specify a cargo weight limit I’d estimate it can handle around 50 lbs (23kg) like a standard bike rack. There’s also full coverage fenders and integrated lights, and while the lights are great to have, they could be improved a bit. The headlight is decently bright but positioned too low on the frame, and it’s fixed straight ahead and doesn’t turn with the handlebars. While the rear light does have a flashing brake mode, it’s just not very bright and not visible at all during the daytime. But hey, still better than no lights at all!
Since there’s no frame suspension and the deck clearance is very low, you’ll want to stick to riding on city streets whenever possible; rough trails will not feel great, and bottoming out will risk damaging the charge port which is poorly positioned underneath the deck. I was pleasantly surprised with how comfy the ECOM 14 feels when riding on pavement; the thick foam seat is great to sit on, and the large 14” wheels roll over obstacles significantly better than the 10” wheels most scooters are equipped with. They seem to have good traction, especially when braking, bringing the ECOM 14 to a quick halt without any skidding. There’s two braking systems in use, a drum brake in the front wheel, plus a mechanical disc brake with a 160mm rotor in the rear. The combined stopping power is more than sufficient, although I probably would have put the more powerful disc brake in the front wheel where it would be more effective.
The battery capacity is 480 watt-hours which is middle of the road for scooters. Hiboy advertises a maximum range of 31 miles (50 km), and after testing I think that’s fairly accurate… depending on how fast you ride, how much you weigh, terrain, and various other factors. After a 10.1 mile ride test I still had 80% charge remaining! The battery is pushing a 450 watt rear hub motor, which feels surprisingly peppy with good off-the-line torque and “good enough” hill climbing ability. Really the only complaint I have about this motor is how loud it is; very loud for a scooter, especially as you near the top speed. It gets annoying to listen to after awhile and anyone you ride past is definitely going to notice.
All things considered I think the ECOM 14 packs in a lot of value and utility. It’s a great fit for city commuters who want something they can ride to work or school, run errands on, and stay comfortable on longer rides.
