As we all know, the battery is one of the most important parts of an electric device, and the electric scooter is not exempted. It’s usually not fun having an electric device that doesn’t have a long-lasting battery, and this applies to e-scooter also, however, certain knowledge of battery has to be known before talking about battery longevity.
Below are things one has to know before rooting for an electric scooter that can serve over their desired duration before recharging again, and have a long elcetric scooter battery life.
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Overview of electric scooter battery life
Although most manufacturers generally offer a 12-month warranty on batteries, electric scooter batteries should have an average lifespan from 18 up to 36 months, depending on the use and quality of the battery. In a “light” mobility app such as using your e-scooter once or twice a week, the battery can last for three years, while in a “heavy” application such as daily use of your e-scooter on long journeys; the lifespan can be from 16 to 18 months.
If properly charged and stored, the mobility e-scooter battery, depending on its type, can provide between 12 to 30 miles (20 to 48 km) of travel per charge. The normally used battery type that can yield this result is the well-known lithium battery; the lithium battery is capable of using 100% of its stored energy, thus giving the electric scooter a long ride longevity and a better battery life. It is essential that you check this with the manufacturer or our blog reviews as this corresponds to the specific electric scooter.
The battery is one of the most essential components of an electric e-scooter that requires special care and maintenance. As I stated previously, the battery warranty period is shorter than that of the electric scooter itself.
Now to avoid confusion, e-scooter dealers say that the life of the battery varies between 300 and 500 cycles, or 600 to 1200 cycles for modern batteries. Now, do not panic that does not mean that after 500 or 1000 trips, your battery will simply go flat dead. This means that after losing a significant percentage of its power load over a few trips about 300 to 500 times, the battery will lose its quality and your scooter will not be as powerful as before. It sounds very pessimistic but do not worry! You can significantly extend the life of your electric scooter’s battery by taking care of it and following a few simple conditions.
Battery types:
There are usually three major types of electric scooter battery; LI-ION, GEL and SLA (sealed lead acid). These three types of batteries each have their advantages depending on their use. Although the choice of use may seem complicated at first, there is a very simple reason for choosing one over the other.
Lithium-Ion Battery (Li-Ion)
Lithium-ion batteries are a recent development in the industry. They are regarded as the best recently because different they posses certain advantages over the other batteries. Their biggest advantage over other types of batteries is because they are very light in weight and thus can be compatible in any device no matter how tiny or huge, and store energy for a long period of time for your electric scooter.
The production of lithium batteries brought to science a major step in battery aspect whenever an electric device is said to be constructed. The e-scooter is not left behind, due to it being little, there’s no better battery that can fit in and still make the device retains its lightweight than the lithium battery.
Gel Battery
Produces more cycles and can therefore last much longer, so recommended for regular users (daily). This battery is considered a decent solution to pack an electric scooter with good performance, but its drawback is that is more heavy and harder to store than the Li-ION batteries.
SLA (or often called AGM - Absorbent Glass Matt)
Produces fewer cycles, so recommended for the occasional user. However, they are also much cheaper and therefore represent excellent value for money with good performance but we only recommend it on low budget and if the manufacturer can change it after a wile with low costs.
Tips on making an electric scooter battery last longer
- Keep the battery of your electric scooter charged
I know that the majority of city dwellers do not burn all the battery charge all at once on their electric e-scooter to get to work and go home every day. However, it is best that you charge it at night anyway. Avoid draining the battery of your electric scooter before charging. Always make sure it is at least 15-20% charged. If you regularly charge the battery of your electric scooter without leaving it unloaded for a long time, it will help you a lot to prolong its life.
- Recharge the battery of your electric scooter at the right time
You can charge your electric scooter immediately after a short ride. If you have traveled a long way, let it cool for about 30 minutes, then charge it. Do not leave your e-scooter with a fully discharged battery for many hours or more.
- Charge your electric scooter before storing it.
When storing your e-scooter for a longer time, make sure the battery is at least 40-50% charged. It is advisable to charge your e-scooter at least once every 30 days. If you leave your e-scooter for about three months without charge, the battery may get damaged except if it is a Li-ION battery
- Always use the correct original charger for your e-scooter
A charger is a much cheaper spare part than the battery, so do use the original charger that was designed for your e-scooter, a different charger may hurt the life of your battery.
- Keep your electric scooter and the battery of your scooter in a dry environment and at an optimal temperature.
Do not leave your e-scooter in cold weather or in the sun for a long time. Keep the battery dry. Negative environmental conditions can damage the battery. Make sure the battery is stored in a cool, dry place. Overheating will reduce efficiency, performance, longevity, and delay the normal charging process. For the same reason, try to avoid the extreme cold. Store somewhere with a comfortable room temperature.
- Never leave your electric scooter charged unattended. Never charge, discharge, use or store a damaged or inflated battery.
The lithium-polymer batteries used in most modern e-scooters are very powerful and should be treated with extreme caution. Improper charging, damage, or overheating can in some cases cause a fire. Do not let your electric scooter charge during the night unless the manufacturer says otherwise. Always watch the e-scooter during charging and avoid overcharging the battery. Do not leave a damaged battery unattended and immediately follow the disposal protocols.
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- Always check for leakages or broken edges on the battery when the electric scooter is not running the sameafter a full charge.
If your e-scooter is no longer powered after a full charge, check if a connection is broken or loose — Take-Off the top cover or case to reveal the battery wiring pattern. However, always inspect the battery pack, brake lever, switch, throttle, and controller. If you are uncertain, take your electric scooter to a retailer or after-sales service for a check.
- Be aware of your battery information.
When buying an electric scooter, always check the features of the battery pack. Pay attention to battery voltage and amp-hours (AH), not just the chemistry (lithium-ion, sealed lead-acid, or lithium-polymer).
The batteries of e-scooters are generally configured in 24V, 36V and 48V. Higher voltages Electric scooters are generally faster, but some factors can affect performance, regardless of battery charge, such as driver weight, terrain you using it on, and the efficiency of the engine and drive system unit. One or two of these factors can really explain the rapid battery loss of your e-scooter.
AH is as much important as the tension. AH is the measure of battery capacity, an indicator of the range of your electric scooter.
An electric scooter (on a 300-watt motor) rises speed to 8 mph and travels a maximum distance of 15 miles per charge from a 36 V 7 Ah battery. Another scooter (on a 250W engine) reaches a top speed of 8 mph and a maximum range of 28 miles per charge of a 48V 10AH battery.
An electric scooter (1000 W motor) operates at a maximum speed of 10 mph with a maximum range of 10 km with a single charge of a 36 V (three of 12 V) battery of 12 Ah. Another one (350W motor) has a 36V 10Ah battery that accelerates to a maximum speed and range of 18mph and 15miles, respectively, with a single charge. Different e-scooters, different battery specifications, will give different performances, and the result will always vary.
Conclusion
Knowing the battery of your e-scooter (and other components) shows how well one knows his/her scooter. This way, you’ll get an idea of why your electric scooter is quickly losing its battery life and how you can fix it.
In conclusion, the longevity of the electric scooter life depends massively on the battery, the duration of the battery depends very much on the individual (that’s how well he maintains it).
The rules are very simple, easy to memorize and follow. If you take good care of the battery of your electric scooter, you can extend its life-span up to 2-3 years. All you have to do is simply plug it in regularly, keep it always charged, take care that your electric scooter and the battery of your e-scooter in a dry environment and at an optimal temperature and check for leakages or any damage on the battery when the electric scooter is not running the same after a full charge.