Inokim and the premium portable scooter class (2009–2026)

17.06.2026 Scootify 14 min read

In the article on the 2010–2020 chronology, the mass-market turning point is named as 2016 — the launch of the Xiaomi M365, the machine that turned a 350-watt folding electric scooter into an affordable consumer product. But the premium, design-led folding scooter as a distinct class appeared before the M365 — and its canonical example is the Israeli brand Inokim, which grew out of a 2009 garage project called MyWay. This section is a standalone profile of the brand itself: how an industrial designer created a class in which the electric scooter is treated neither as a gadget nor as a toy, but as a carefully engineered object machined from aluminium.

Understanding this history matters for two reasons. First, the premium portable class lives by a different engineering optimum than both the cheap mass segment (Xiaomi, Segway-Ninebot) and the extreme hyperscooter class (Minimotors / Dualtron): here the priority is build quality, the folding mechanism, suspension and durability — not the lowest price or the highest speed. Second, it was companies like Inokim that, through the late 2010s, proved a folding scooter could cost as much as a premium bicycle and still find a buyer — opening the commuter segment to a demanding, quality-conscious adult rider.

MyWay and Nimrod Sapir: the garage project (2009–2014)

The Inokim story begins in 2009 as a garage project by the Israeli industrial designer and inventor Nimrod Sapir, under the brand name MyWay. (Electric Kicks; EcoScooters Australia) The company’s official history dates its origins to that same year, 2009, and describes the original development as a folding electric scooter with a brushless hub motor. (Inokim)

The technological core of MyWay is not the motor or the battery, but the folding mechanism. Sapir is the named inventor on US Patent US 8,801,009, “Folding wheel mechanism for vehicle”, with a priority date of 2 June 2009, filed on 30 May 2010 and granted on 12 August 2014. (Google Patents) The patent describes a dual-hinge mechanism that lets the wheels fold flat against the footboard so the scooter becomes compact for carrying. (Google Patents) It is this engineering idea — a hinge that moves the wheels, not just the handlebar — that underpins Inokim’s later reputation for a refined fold; the various folding schemes are unpacked in the article on the frame, handlebar and folding.

The design stayed in Israel: Inokim still states that its scooters are designed by an engineering team in Tel Aviv. (Inokim) It is a split the brand keeps to this day: development in Israel, manufacturing in China.

The rename to Inokim and the arrival of Ben-Shooshan (2011–2021)

Sources disagree on exactly when MyWay became the modern brand, and it is worth recording that honestly. The company’s official history states that the MyWay scooters were rebranded as Inokim in 2014, and gives the name as short for “Innovation Of last Kilometer.” (Inokim) The Australian reviewer-retailer Electric Kicks, by contrast, dates the rename to 2011 and reads the name as a blend of “Innovative” and “Kinetic.” (Electric Kicks) A 2021 corporate announcement, in turn, gives 2011 as the year the company was founded and opened its first retail branch in the Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv. (IPS Inter Press Service) The most likely explanation for the discrepancy: 2009 is the garage MyWay and the patent priority; 2011 is the first retail entity in Israel; 2014 is the official rebrand, coinciding with the patent grant. The sources do not agree on a single rename date.

The brand’s second key figure is Kfir Ben-Shooshan. The official management listing names Sapir as Founder and VP R&D, and Ben-Shooshan as Founder & Chairman. (Inokim) Per the official timeline, in 2015 Kfir Nelly Holdings (Ben-Shooshan) became the exclusive distributor of Inokim, building sales channels, marketing and a flagship store chain. (Inokim)

In 2021, Inokim merged its Israeli business operations with its China manufacturing facility into a single entity to tighten control of its value chain; the company is controlled by Kfir and Dror Ben-Shooshan, with Kfir Ben-Shooshan listed as founder and CEO. (IPS Inter Press Service) By Ben-Shooshan’s own account, after he grew the Israeli business successfully, the Chinese manufacturing company offered him shares, and he says he came to own about 30% of the business, selling through franchises worldwide. (EcoScooters Australia)

The foundational product: from MyWay Quick to Light (2009–2015)

One of MyWay’s first machines was the MyWay Quick, a lightweight folding electric scooter made of aluminium with a brushless motor and a lithium-ion battery. (Electric Kicks) Two years after the first Quick, the company released the improved Quick-1, which, the retailer says, gained worldwide success and recognition. (Electric Kicks) And in 2015 came the Light — a lightweight, quick-to-fold model that gave its name to a whole ultraportable line. (Electric Kicks)

The brand’s engineering philosophy from the start was quality, not the lowest price. Inokim positions itself for quality-focused buyers rather than budget shoppers, and produces its scooter components in-house rather than assembling standardised parts. (fluidfreeride) The design emphasis is on a refined fold: every Inokim scooter is foldable, and the distributor describes the folding-mechanism detailing as “second to none.” (fluidfreeride) Sapir himself, per the retailer’s account, is associated with the idea of the “last-mile solution” — a way to cover the final stretch of a journey with minimal effort (an attribution by the source, not an independently established fact). (Electric Kicks)

Light: the ultraportable commuter

The Light line is the lightest, most compact part of the catalogue, aimed at short urban trips and carrying by hand. The current Inokim Light 2 is specified as follows:

Motor: rear hub, 350 W nominal / 650 W peak. (fluidfreeride)
Battery: 36 V, 10.4 Ah (374 Wh) Li-ion. (fluidfreeride)
Top speed: up to 32 km/h (20 mph). (fluidfreeride)
Weight: ~13.6 kg (30 lb) — no suspension. (fluidfreeride)
Brakes: dual drum. (fluidfreeride)
Range: a quoted 32 km (20 miles), realistically closer to 24 km (15 miles). (fluidfreeride)

Electric Scooter Insider rates the Light 2 (about 13.6 kg) as, within its 100+ scooter database, one of the lightest machines to combine foldable handlebars, a telescopic stem and an intuitive folding mechanism. (Electric Scooter Insider) The drum brakes and the absence of suspension are a deliberate trade-off for weight and minimal maintenance, not a cost-cut: the differences between braking schemes, and why a sealed, maintenance-free drum is chosen, are covered in the article on wheels, suspension and IP protection.

Quick: the mid commuter

The Quick line steps up in power and range while staying in commuter format. Two generations are well documented by English-language reviewers:

Quick 3: a 48 V 450 W motor, a 48 V 13 Ah battery, up to 30 km/h (19 mph), ~16.5 kg (36.4 lb), no suspension, 10×2.5″ pneumatic tyres, a front V-brake with a rear disc. (Electric Scooter Insider)
Quick 4: a move to 52 V 600 W (versus the Quick 3’s 48 V 450 W), a 52 V 16 Ah (832 Wh) Samsung battery, up to 40 km/h (25 mph), ~23 kg (47 lb), front and rear drum brakes, 10-inch pneumatic tyres, spring-front/rubber-rear suspension. (Electric Scooter Insider; Electrek) The claimed maximum range is about 69 km (43 miles), realistically ~45 km (28 miles) in its most powerful settings. (Electric Scooter Insider)

The 48-to-52 V step in the Quick 4 is a standard industry move: a higher voltage delivers more torque and a higher speed ceiling at the same current. Why this is so, and how battery voltage relates to real-world range, is unpacked in the articles on batteries and real range and on motors.

OX, OX Super and OXO: the premium suspension line

Inokim’s top segment is its fully suspended machines, where the brand most clearly shows its engineering identity:

OX: an 800 W nominal / 1300 W peak rear hub motor, up to ~48 km/h (30 mph), offered in a Hero version (60 V 13 Ah, 780 Wh) and a Super version (60 V 21 Ah, 1260 Wh), ~28 kg (62 lb), adjustable OSAP polymer suspension front and rear, 10×2.5″ pneumatic tyres, a front drum + rear disc brake. (fluidfreeride)
OX Super: a single 800 W motor, a 60 V 21 Ah LG battery (1260 Wh), up to ~45 km/h (28 mph), ~28 kg (61 lb), a rubber torsion suspension with single-sided swingarms, a front drum + rear disc brake; a claimed maximum range of ~90 km (56 miles), realistically ~53 km (33 miles). (Electric Scooter Insider)
OXO: the flagship, with two motors — per reviews, around 2000 W continuous / 2600 W peak — a 60 V 26 Ah battery, up to ~64 km/h (40 mph), ~34 kg (74 lb), OSAP rubber-cartridge suspension with single-sided swingarms, 10×2.5″ tyres and dual hydraulic disc brakes; a claimed maximum range of ~109 km (68 miles), averaging ~60 km (37 miles) in real-world testing. (Electric Scooter Insider)

On water resistance one should be precise: no Inokim scooter carries an official IP water-resistance rating, as Electric Scooter Insider notes. (Electric Scooter Insider) The exception is the official OX page, where the maker claims IPX4 and certification to the UL 2272 electrical-safety standard (via SGS). (Inokim) What IP classes mean and why most makers do not publish them is unpacked in the article on wheels, suspension and IP protection.

The Inokim engineering signature: CNC over welding

What sets Inokim apart from the mass segment is its manufacturing method, not its on-paper specs. As Electrek observes, Inokim has eschewed welding in favour of CNC manufacturing wherever possible. (Electrek) Instead of welding a frame from tubular stock, the brand machines its load-bearing parts from solid aluminium billets — costlier, but with higher repeatability and joint strength. The same outlet attributes Inokim’s higher price precisely to durability: the buyer, it says, gets a scooter that will hold up to many years of daily use. (Electrek)

The second engineering trait is suspension and the fold. Reviewers rate Inokim’s suspension above much pricier models, and characterise the brand as built on design excellence and suspension quality rather than raw speed. (Electric Scooter Insider) Rider Guide describes Inokim as “masterful with build,” citing single-sided swingarms, stylish wheels and an effective stem-folding mechanism. (Rider Guide) FluidFreeride adds that attention to detail — hidden cables and no parts sticking out — is standard for Inokim. (FluidFreeride)

Manufacturing and distribution

Inokim keeps a split value chain: research and development in Tel Aviv, Israel, and production at its own factory in China. (Zag Daily; Electrek) One dealer account locates the factory in Shanghai and notes that it produces components from wheels to batteries. (EcoScooters Australia) Per the distributor, the brand makes its components in-house rather than assembling standardised parts. (fluidfreeride) The design originates in Israel while the scooters are sold internationally — one European/Australian dealer describes the brand as “designed in Israel and sold in 30 countries.” (EcoScooters)

Inokim came to the US market relatively late: as of June 2020, Miami-based fluidfreeride became the first source for Inokim scooters in the US (described at the time as the first and only distributor in the country). (Electrek) As of 2024–2026 the brand sells through regional dealers and resellers in markets such as Australia (for example Electric Kicks and Scooter Hut) and the UAE. (Electric Kicks)

Reputation and awards

Among English-language reviewers, Inokim holds a consistently high reputation specifically for build and design:

Electric Scooter Insider calls the OXO the “Rolls Royce of scooters” for build and ride quality, and describes its build as “second to none,” with seamlessly fitting components and no misalignment or unsightly seams. (Electric Scooter Insider)
Rider Guide characterises every Inokim scooter as “a feat of design and execution” that is “beautiful, exotic, cohesive and refined,” and rates the OXO’s build and design as second to none. (Rider Guide) The same outlet ranks Inokim scooters among the best in the world for design and quality. (Rider Guide)
Tech Advisor describes the OX Super as “a marked improvement over Xiaomi and Ninebot” and one of the most premium electric scooters its reviewer had ridden. (Tech Advisor)
Electrek sums up the Light 2’s philosophy with the headline “built to last.” (Electrek)

Among design honours, the official page for the OX lists the model as a winner of the Red Dot Design Award. (Inokim)

Reviewers tie this quality directly to a higher price. Rider Guide notes that Inokim’s refined design comes at a premium, making the Light 2 one of the priciest ultraportables on the market. (Rider Guide) That is neither an advantage nor a fault in itself — it is an engineering trade-off: CNC machining, in-house components and suspension cost more than a welded frame on standardised parts. It is left to the buyer to weigh whether that engineering fits their use case.

Inokim’s place in 2026

Inokim occupies a distinct niche between three neighbouring classes. The brand positions itself as a mobility company focused on safety and reliability, explicitly distinguishing itself from “gadget makers” like Xiaomi. (Electrek) Reviewers confirm the contrast: Inokim is described as a premium brand emphasising a calm, refined ride and design — as opposed to performance-first brands like NAMI and high-volume brands like Segway-Ninebot. (Electric Scooter Insider)

The brand remains active: in 2025 it released an updated OXO with a carbon skin, 20% faster charging, dual 1000 W motors, a top speed of ~65 km/h and a range of around 110 km. (Electric Kicks) It shows that a company founded as a 2009 garage project is, seventeen years on, still iterating on the same idea — a folding, carefully engineered scooter for the adult rider.

Summary

Inokim is not the maker of the “fastest” or the “cheapest” electric scooter, but the maker of the benchmark for the premium portable class. From Nimrod Sapir’s 2009 garage MyWay (with a folding-mechanism patent as its technological core), through the rebrand to Inokim and the arrival of Kfir Ben-Shooshan as distributor, to today’s Light 2, Quick 4, OX Super and OXO, the brand has consistently held the same optimum: machined aluminium instead of welding, a refined fold, real suspension and a durability paid for with a premium price.

For a buyer today, Inokim is the right choice for a specific use case: a build-quality-conscious urban commuter who values the fold and the suspension above absolute speed or the lowest price. If the priority is top speed, the hyperscooter class fits better; if it is the lowest price, the mass-market Xiaomi segment. How to separate these classes for a concrete use case is set out in the guide on choosing a scooter, and the full Inokim model range is in the brand catalogue.