NAMI and the own-controller performance boutique (2019–2026)

In the Kaabo profile we noted that some Chinese performance brands borrow the EY3 controller-display straight from the Minimotors line. NAMI is the story of the opposite approach: a brand founded in the late 2010s that made its own controller the main point of differentiation and entered history as the maker of the first electric scooter to use sine-wave controllers. Tellingly, it was founded by a former Kaabo salesman — so NAMI grew straight out of the value-performance world described in the neighbouring profile, but chose a different engineering path. This section is a standalone profile of the brand: how a boutique built on in-house electronics became what reviewers call “the Ferrari of the electric scooter world.”

Understanding this history matters for two reasons. First, in-house electronics is a distinct engineering regime: instead of assembling a machine from off-the-shelf controllers and displays, NAMI designs them itself — and that is what gives the kind of control (smooth, linear power delivery rather than “pulsed,” hard-to-meter power) that square-wave rivals lack. Second, NAMI is an example of a boutique strategy: the company deliberately started with the largest, most powerful and most expensive machines rather than the mass market, building its reputation top-down.

Origins: Michael Sha and the exit from Kaabo (2019–2020)

NAMI Electric was founded in late 2019 to 2020 by Michael Sha (Sha Tao) and Johann Maugueret, with the stated ambition of creating a premium, high-end electric-scooter brand. (NAMI Electric; e-Scooter Rider) The key biographical detail: Michael Sha is a former Kaabo sales engineer; reviewers describe him outright as “a Kaabo salesman turned scooter designer.” (Rider Guide) That makes NAMI a rare case in which a leading employee of one performance brand split off to build a rival with fundamentally different engineering.

The name NAMI is an acronym for the English “New Age Mobility Innovation.” (Tõuksimaailm) The company manufactures its scooters in China — at a factory in Ningbo (Zhejiang province), identified as Ningbo Xingyue Vehicle Co. Ltd, run by Sha himself. (NAMI Electric) It is the same region as Kaabo — which makes sense given the founder’s background. (Worth noting: NAMI is sometimes mislabelled as a South Korean brand — probably through confusion with Minimotors; it is in fact a Chinese company with Ningbo manufacturing.)

NAMI deliberately chose a top-down boutique strategy: it targeted the largest, most powerful and most expensive machines first, rather than the mass market. (Tõuksimaailm) Its first model was the flagship Burn-E, originally named Viper (a callback to its snake-like tubular frame; renamed to avoid a potential trademark conflict), which launched as early as mid-2020. (Tõuksimaailm; Electric Scooter Insider) NAMI also iterates its products partly through an enthusiast community that discusses new ideas and technical solutions, not only through customer feedback. (Tõuksimaailm)

The sine-wave controller: NAMI’s engineering signature

What defines NAMI is its in-house sine-wave controllers. The Burn-E is credited as the world’s first electric scooter to use sine-wave controllers. (Tõuksimaailm) This is not borrowed electronics: reviewers describe the Burn-E’s controllers as designed exclusively for NAMI. (Electric Scooter Insider)

The engineering difference is fundamental. Sine-wave controllers produce more low-RPM torque and a strikingly quieter ride, unlike the square-wave units common on rival super-scooters; instead of “pulsed,” hard-to-meter power, the delivery is smooth and linear. (Rider Guide; Electric Scooter Insider) It also yields measurable efficiency: in Rider Guide’s test, the Burn-E delivered 28% more range per watt-hour than the square-wave-controlled Dualtron Wolf King. (Rider Guide) Furthermore, the sine-wave controllers let each of the Burn-E 2’s two motors be controlled independently — the rider sets how much power flows to each motor. (Electric Scooter Insider) How the controller–motor–BMS loop works, and why the current waveform affects torque and noise, is covered in the articles on controllers and electronics and on motors.

The Burn-E: flagship and welded tubular frame

The Burn-E was conceived from a clean sheet and introduced many original, never-seen-before solutions — including a hand-welded tubular frame and a spin-down stem latch. (Rider Guide) Unlike competitors that bolt frames together from sheet metal, NAMI uses a welded aluminium-tube, roll-cage-type frame as a core engineering differentiator — the Burn-E frame is a welded aluminium exoskeleton internally reinforced with X-shaped cross members and, in the designer’s words, deliberately over-built. (Tõuksimaailm; Rider Guide)

The flagship’s evolution is well documented:

• Burn-E (original / Viper): a rated 60 mph (Rider Guide measured 58.8), ~103 lb, adjustable hydraulic suspension, Nutt hydraulic disc brakes front and rear with cooling fins, 11×3.5″ tubeless CST tyres, IP55. Peak controller current reaches 60 A only under the hardest acceleration levels. (Rider Guide; Electric Scooter Insider)
• Burn-E 2: dual 72 V 1000 W motors (2000 W nominal, ~5040 W peak), a 72 V 28 Ah battery, up to 45 mph, up to ~145 km (~80 realistic), ~100 lb, a 330 lb max rider. Adjustable hydraulic coil-over shocks with swingarms, LOGAN brakes (2-piston, full-hydraulic, 160 mm discs) plus regen, 11×3.5″ tubeless tyres, IP55 overall (IP67 for display, connectors and controllers). Wider 27″ bars (up from 24.4″), a carbon-fibre stem plus an aviation-grade aluminium frame. Reviewers call the Burn-E 2 the only scooter in the industry to fit dual 1000 W motors at 72 V. (Electric Scooter Insider)
• Burn-E 2 Max: a total 3000 W (1500 W × 2; by some reviews up to 8400 W peak), a 72 V 32 Ah / 2304 Wh LG battery (cells may be Panasonic, LG or Samsung), a rated 60 mph (measured 54.9), up to ~144 km, ~103 lb. Two 12-MOSFET 50 A controllers, 4-piston Logan brakes with 160 mm discs, 11″ (90/65-6.5) tubeless CST tyres, IP55 for the body and IP67 for controllers, dash and connectors. The dash surfaces telemetry beyond a speedometer — motor temperature and output current — plus selectable ride-mode presets (E/D/S/C/X). (Rider Guide; EScooterNerds)

KKE suspension and build

NAMI’s second engineering trait is its KKE suspension: 165 mm adjustable hydraulic coil-over shocks, whose hydraulic rebound damping regulates the speed at which the suspension extends after being compressed. (Electric Scooter Insider) Reviewer ratings here are exceptionally high: Electric Scooter Insider calls the KKE hydraulic suspension on the Burn-E 2 “industry-leading” and “the best suspension that we’ve ever tested,” surpassing the far pricier Dualtron X2. (Electric Scooter Insider) Why suspension quality is critical at these speeds, and what IP55/IP65/IP67 mean, is covered in the article on wheels, suspension and IP protection; why full-hydraulic brakes matter on a ~100 kg machine is in the article on brakes.

Beyond the flagship: Klima and Blast

NAMI has expanded beyond the Burn-E into lighter form factors:

• Klima — a lighter, more commuter-oriented series: twin 1000 W motors (2000 W continuous), a 60 V battery, twin 40 A sine-wave controllers, up to 42 mph (measured 41.6). The base is 60 V 25 Ah (a claimed ~80 km), the Max a 60 V 30 Ah LG 21700 pack (1800 Wh, up to ~97 km); the Max weighs ~79 lb. Rebound-adjustable KKE coil suspension, Logan brakes (2-piston, full-hydraulic, 160 mm) plus regen, 10×3″ tubeless CST street tyres, IP55 overall (IP65 for display, controllers and connectors). (Rider Guide)
• Blast / Blast Max — a newer line with a patented inverted front suspension. Blast: a 1000 W nominal / 2000 W peak motor, a 60 V 28 Ah / 1680 Wh LG battery, up to 85 km/h, ~60 km, 40 kg. Blast Max: a 1500 W nominal / 4200 W peak motor, a 60 V 40 Ah / 2400 Wh LG 21700 battery, up to 85 km/h, a claimed ~145 km, 48 kg. Both: inverted hydraulic KKE suspension front and rear, fully hydraulic Logan 160 mm brakes, 11″ tubeless tyres, IP65. (Maxblinker)

Reputation: “the Ferrari of scooters”

Among English-language reviewers NAMI holds one of the highest reputations in the performance segment — for suspension, build and acceleration:

• Electric Scooter Insider names the Burn-E 2 its all-time favourite electric scooter (and the outlet has reviewed every category of machine), with “the best suspension that we’ve ever tested” (surpassing the pricier Dualtron X2) and among the best build quality in its 140+ scooter database. (Electric Scooter Insider) The Burn-E 2’s acceleration is close to the fastest machines recorded — nearly matching the Kaabo Wolf King GT up to 25 mph. (Electric Scooter Insider)
• Rider Guide describes NAMI as “the Ferrari of the electric scooter world,” rates its overall construction above competitors (the welded, X-braced tubular frame, the carbon-fibre stem), and calls the Burn-E 2 Max “the undisputed king of hill-climbing” (a record 6.3-second climb cresting at 40 mph) and the second-quickest production scooter it tested from 0–30 mph (3.7 s). (Rider Guide)
• Electric Scooter Guide characterises the Burn-E 2 Max’s build as “durable throughout” — an aircraft-grade aluminium frame reinforced with carbon fibre, and ABS hydraulic disc brakes that “inspire confidence.” (Electric Scooter Guide)

NAMI in 2026

NAMI remains active and iterates quickly. The brand runs a global dealer network with resellers in more than 20 countries, and in 2025 it took the strategic step of fully internalising its distribution in Europe, taking direct control rather than relying solely on third-party resellers. (NAMI Electric) In the US the primary dealer is fluidfreeride (selling the Klima, Burn-E 2 and Burn-E 2 Max). (fluidfreeride) The lineup keeps growing: 2025–2026 brought the Burn-E 3 / Burn-E 3 Max generation — a 72 V 40 Ah (~2880 Wh) 21700-cell battery, dual 1500 W (8400 W peak) motors, ~61–65 mph, with IP55/IP65 ratings. (Electrotraveller) Reviewers position NAMI directly against Minimotors’ Dualtron line, crediting the Burn-E with slightly better performance and grip (wider tyres, hydraulic brakes) than the comparable Dualtron Victor. (Levy Electric)

Summary

NAMI is not the maker of the “cheapest” machine, but the benchmark of the in-house-electronics performance boutique: a brand that since 2019–2020 — founded by former Kaabo salesman Michael Sha — made its differentiator not a borrowed but an in-house sine-wave controller, and built around it a welded tubular frame, KKE suspension and a reputation as “the Ferrari of scooters.” If Kaabo is flagship specs at a lower price through dealers, and Apollo is direct sales plus in-house software, then NAMI is in-house power electronics plus boutique build quality as the point of difference.

For a buyer today, NAMI is the right choice for a specific use case: a rider whose priority is smooth, controllable power, the best suspension, and the over-built construction of a performance machine, rather than the lowest price or the portability of the premium-portable class. These are mostly heavy (≈30–47 kg) off-road and hyperscooter machines, not meant for daily carrying by hand. How to separate these classes for a concrete use case is set out in the guide on choosing a scooter, and the full NAMI model range is in the brand catalogue.