Archos Citee Connect, World's First Android-Powered Electric Scooter, to Be Previewed at MWC 2018

French electronics company Archos on Tuesday announced the launch of what it calls the 'world's first Android-powered electric scooter'. Dubbed the Citee Connect, this scooter will be available in European markets starting Summer 2018 at a price tag of EUR 499.99 (roughly Rs. 40,000). Archos claims the Citee Connect has a top speed of up to 25kmph and a range of over 25 kilometres. Apart from this, Archos also announced the Citee and Citee Power scooters in its lineup. All three variants will be previewed at Mobile World Congress 2018. Only the Citee Connect comes with Android functionality.

Citee Connect Android-Powered Scooter

The Citee Connect sports a 5-inch touch panel that runs Android Oreo and offers a multimedia dashboard for the driver. This IPS display is backed by a quad-core SoC, coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB inbuilt storage. The display is claimed to offer resistance against bad weather and shocks, thanks to Gorilla Glass protection. With Wi-Fi, GPS, and 3G connectivity, drivers can access services like speed tracking, distance travelled, and battery level on the go.

Talking about the scooter itself, the Citee Connect weighs 13kg and comes with 8.5-inch puncture-proof wheels and rubberised handles for better handling. The scooter has a 250W motor and a 6000mAh (36V) Lithium battery allowing for a claimed range of over 25km in urban areas. Additionally, battery life can be increased by up to 15 percent via the custom braking mechanism that recharges it. Users can also charge it through a proprietary docking station. A reel lock is linked to an onboard application that allows drivers to control access to the scooter with a dedicated app on their smartphones.

Archos claims that the Citee Connect Android-powered scooter has been developed keeping in mind the current traffic regulations in Europe, and can be customised to meet requirements in other global cities.

The company is also announcing two new non-Android electric scooters in its lineup. The Archos Citee is made of aluminium, comes equipped with large wheels, has a maximum speed of up to 25kmph, and is lightweight at just 11.5kg. It borrows the 250W motor from the Citee Connect, and has a 5000mAh battery that offers a range of 10-12km with a charging time of 4-5 hours.

On the other hand, the Archos Citee Power is slightly heavier at 13kg, and features a 6000mAh battery much like the Citee Connect. The Archos Citee and Archos Citee Power will be available starting April 2018 at a starting price of EUR 399.99 (roughly Rs. 32,000).

All three scooters have a maximum load capacity of 100 kilograms.

We spoke about all the big launches expected at MWC 2018 on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.