A torque stick apparatus for driving a personal transporter across a transport surface by positioning the torque stick apparatus against a drive surface is described. The torque stick apparatus includes a tubular housing, throttle control, battery pack, motor coupled to a wheel, and motor controller. The motor controller is coupled to the motor, the battery pack, and the throttle control. The motor controller determines whether to select regenerative braking mode based at least in part on the position of the throttle control. The motor controller supplies power from the battery pack to the motor in accordance with the throttle control when regenerative braking mode is not selected. The motor controller provides power from the motor to the battery pack when regenerative braking is selected. The battery pack and the motor controller are contained within the housing.