Sometimes the best way to test an electric scooter isn’t with a stopwatch, range meter, or carefully planned test course.

Sometimes you just need to pick a city and start exploring.

That’s exactly what I did when I took the Segway Max G3 Plus around Columbus, Indiana.

If you’ve never been to Columbus, you might assume it’s just another small Midwestern city.

You’d be wrong.

Columbus has developed an international reputation for architecture and design, with buildings created by some of the biggest names in modern architecture.

That made it a perfect place to park the car, get on the Segway, and see what I could discover.

Why Columbus, Indiana?

Columbus is one of those places that catches you completely by surprise.

The city has a population of just over 50,000, but scattered throughout Columbus are more than 80 noteworthy buildings and public spaces designed by internationally recognized architects.

We’re talking about names like:

• Eero Saarinen
• Eliel Saarinen
• I.M. Pei
• Kevin Roche
• Harry Weese
• Deborah Berke

You simply don’t expect to find this concentration of architecture in a city this size.

And when you’re riding around on an electric scooter, you start noticing things you might completely miss from inside a car.

The Segway Max G3 Plus Is Made for This Kind of Ride

I’ve spent time testing the Segway Max G3 Plus as a scooter.

But this ride gave me an opportunity to use it as transportation.

There’s a difference.

Instead of constantly thinking about acceleration, braking, battery percentages, and specifications, I could simply ride it around town.

That’s when you start finding out whether you actually enjoy living with a PEV.

Is it comfortable?

Is it easy to maneuver?

Can I cover enough distance without worrying about the battery?

Do I feel comfortable riding it for an extended period?

Most importantly:

Does it make me want to keep exploring?

For this type of ride, the Max G3 Plus makes a lot of sense.

Exploring a City Is Different on a Scooter

I’ve explored plenty of cities by car.

You see the big attractions.

You drive from one destination to another.

You park.

You get out.

Then you get back in the car and repeat the process.

A scooter completely changes that experience.

You’re moving quickly enough to cover considerably more territory than you could comfortably walk, but slowly enough to actually see what’s around you.

If something catches your attention, you stop.

There’s no searching for a parking space.

There’s no walking six blocks back to where you left the car.

You simply get off the scooter and take a look.

That’s one of my favorite things about PEVs.

Columbus Is Practically an Outdoor Architecture Museum

One of the biggest surprises about Columbus is just how much architecture is packed into a relatively small area.

Downtown alone contains numerous significant buildings and public art installations.

Fifth Street has even earned the nickname “Avenue of the Architects.”

Along this relatively compact corridor, you can see important works including First Christian Church, the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, the Irwin Conference Center, and the Cummins corporate headquarters.

For someone exploring on a scooter, this is almost perfect.

Instead of spending an entire afternoon walking from building to building, you can cover the area much more efficiently while still being able to stop whenever something catches your attention.

First Christian Church

One of Columbus’ most recognizable buildings is First Christian Church.

Designed by Eliel Saarinen and completed in 1942, it was one of the city’s earliest major modern architectural projects.

The building looks dramatically different from the traditional churches you might expect to find in a Midwestern city.

Its geometric design and freestanding tower immediately get your attention.

It’s also a great example of why exploring Columbus at street level is so interesting.

You can actually stop and appreciate these buildings instead of simply driving past them.

The Cleo Rogers Memorial Library

Across from First Christian Church sits another Columbus landmark: the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, designed by I.M. Pei.

If that name sounds familiar, there’s a reason.

Pei is one of the most famous architects of the modern era and is perhaps best known internationally for designing the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris.

Yet here in Columbus, Indiana, you can ride your electric scooter right up to one of his major works.

That’s the kind of thing that makes this city fascinating.

Columbus Has Seven National Historic Landmarks

Here’s another statistic that surprised me.

Columbus has seven buildings recognized as National Historic Landmarks.

For a city of this size, that’s remarkable.

Among them are the Miller House and Garden, First Christian Church, the former North Christian Church, the Irwin Conference Center, and other significant examples of modern architecture.

The Miller House is particularly famous.

Designed by Eero Saarinen with interiors by Alexander Girard and landscaping by Dan Kiley, it is considered one of the most important examples of mid-century modern residential architecture in the country.

The City Is Built for Exploring

Another thing I discovered is that Columbus already encourages people to explore without a car.

The Columbus Visitors Center publishes several dedicated biking routes, including approximately:

• 2-mile downtown loop
• 3-mile downtown loop
• 5-mile biking loop
• 6-mile historic loop
• 15-mile historic loop

That’s exactly the kind of environment where a scooter becomes incredibly useful.

You’re not necessarily trying to get somewhere as quickly as possible.

You’re exploring.

And having a PEV allows you to cover considerably more territory without turning the day into a marathon.

Comfort Matters More Than Speed

When people shop for electric scooters, top speed gets a lot of attention.

I understand why.

Speed is fun.

But rides like this remind me that comfort can be far more important.

If I’m going to spend several hours exploring a city, I don’t care nearly as much about squeezing another couple miles per hour out of the scooter.

I care about how I feel after 10, 15, or 20 miles.

That’s where suspension, tires, riding position, deck size, and overall stability start becoming much more important.

The best urban scooter isn’t necessarily the fastest one.

It’s the one you still want to ride after you’ve been on it for a couple of hours.

Range Gives You Freedom

Battery capacity also changes how you explore.

If you’re constantly looking at the battery indicator and calculating whether you have enough power to get back to the car, the ride isn’t nearly as enjoyable.

Having sufficient range gives you freedom.

You see something interesting a few miles away?

Go check it out.

You discover another trail?

Take it.

You realize you’ve been riding in the wrong direction for the last 20 minutes?

Well…at least you have enough battery to fix your mistake.

That’s the kind of real-world benefit that doesn’t always come across when you’re simply reading specifications.

This Is What PEVs Do Best

Electric scooters and e-bikes aren’t just alternatives to cars.

They can actually change how you experience a place.

You’re not isolated from everything happening around you.

You hear the city.

You see things.

You smell the restaurants.

You notice architecture.

You find parks.

You discover streets you never would have driven down.

And because you’ve got electric power underneath you, you’re willing to explore farther than you might on foot.

That’s one of the biggest reasons I’ve become such a fan of PEVs.

You Don’t Need a Huge City to Have an Adventure

When people think about exploring cities on e-bikes or electric scooters, they usually imagine places like Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles.

Columbus reminded me that smaller cities can sometimes be even better.

There’s less congestion.

Distances are manageable.

You can cover a significant portion of the city during a single ride.

And in the case of Columbus, there’s something interesting seemingly around every corner.

You don’t need skyscrapers and millions of people to have a great urban PEV adventure.

Sometimes a scooter and an interesting small city are all you need.

The Max G3 Plus Becomes More Than a Scooter

This is something I think gets lost in traditional product reviews.

When I first receive a scooter, it’s a product.

I’m examining the suspension.

I’m testing acceleration.

I’m looking at the brakes.

I’m checking the battery.

I’m figuring out what I like and what I don’t.

Eventually, though, the best products stop feeling like something you’re reviewing.

They become the thing that takes you somewhere.

That’s what happened during this ride.

The Segway Max G3 Plus wasn’t really the destination.

Columbus was.

The scooter was simply the tool that allowed me to experience more of it.

And I think that’s one of the biggest compliments I can give a PEV.

Would I Explore Columbus This Way Again?

Absolutely.

In fact, after riding around Columbus, I think an e-bike or electric scooter might be one of the best ways to experience the city.

You can cover significantly more ground than you can walking while still maintaining that connection to everything around you.

Columbus’ compact downtown, architecture, public art, parks, and established cycling routes make it particularly well suited for this kind of exploration.

Just remember to ride responsibly, follow local rules, pay attention to pedestrians, and use appropriate safety equipment.

You’re there to experience the city—not race through it.

Final Thoughts

My ride through Columbus, Indiana on the Segway Max G3 Plus ended up being about much more than testing another electric scooter.

It was a reminder of what these machines can actually enable us to do.

I got to explore a small Midwestern city filled with world-class architecture, public art, historic landmarks, and places I probably never would have discovered from inside a car.

And I was able to do it at my own pace.

Stop when I wanted.

Explore when something looked interesting.

Then get back on the scooter and keep going.

That’s exactly the kind of experience that makes me appreciate PEVs.

The specifications matter.

Performance matters.

Range matters.

But ultimately, the best question might be much simpler:

Where can this thing take me?

On this ride, the answer was Columbus, Indiana.

And I’m glad I went.

Watch the Full Video

Come along with me as I explore Columbus, Indiana on the Segway Max G3 Plus.

You’ll get to see the city from a completely different perspective while I put some real-world miles on the Max G3 Plus and discover why Columbus is such an interesting place to explore on a PEV.

Sometimes the best way to review an electric scooter is to stop reviewing it and simply go somewhere.