Once relegated to solely being a children toy, scooters (especially the electric kind) have made a resurgence. Go to almost any major city and you will spot quite a few people commuting on one of these devices. But how far are you able to travel on an electric scooter in just one charge?
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Electric scooters can usually go up to around 40 miles on average between charges. There are many factors that can change the total distance you can cover such as: the weather, weight of the user and your average speed.
In this article, we will go over go to get the most out of your scooters charge and what the factors are that could possibly affect how long you can go for.
Electric Scooter Batteries
For your scooter, the battery is what gives it the power it needs to get you from place to place. Bearing this in mind, it will be good for you to know all you can about how it works and why.
VOLTAGE
In essence what we are describing here is an electric generator. So, first of all we have to get to know what voltage means for the scooter.
Voltage has a direct correlation to the power that the scooter has. The higher up we go in volts, the top speed of the scooter will follow and therefore get you to where you need to go faster.
This will affect the total range of travel you can obtain from your scooter as you can cover more distance before running out of charge.
A higher voltage will also mean that your scooter requires less current to get going and so this too can affect how long your battery can last.
Now, you must be careful not to go too high on the voltage when considering batteries as you can run into some problems. Too high a voltage can cause safety issues (like shocking hazards) and can give you difficulty with regulations. In some places a voltage that is too high will have your scooter classified as a moped.
CONTROLLERS
A controller will essentially limit the maximum power and speed of your scooter. This can make a higher-powered battery go slower than a lower-powered battery with will in turn extend battery life.
This makes controllers an important thing to consider when browsing potential scooters as it can change what you can get out of it.
AMP HOURS
Amp hours are a very literally gauge of how long your scooters battery will last. Think of it the same way as a gas meter on a car or motorbike. The higher than amp hours, the longer you have on a single charge of your battery.
What will impact the range of my electric scooter?
POWER OUTPUT
Above we talked about how power output affects how fast – and therefore how far- you can travel on a single charge of your battery. Say you had a scooter that had a top speed of 20mph and another with 17mph but they both had the same amp hours, the scooter at 20mph would be capable of traveling further than the one with the 17mph speed.
TERRAIN
The type of terrain that you will be traveling across will have a drastic impact on the range off travel. The harsher the terrain, the more work the battery has to do to carry you across it and so in turn will shorten the range of your scooter.
If you were to travel across a bumpy field, you would drain your battery quicker than say traveling across the paving slabs of a sidewalk.
Obviously, if you are travelling uphill this will also drain your reserves quicker, whereas downhill may actually extend your effective range, due it being helped along by gravity.
WEIGHT
This is another area that can greatly affect the total range. A heavier load will require more power from your scooter and so will reduce the distance you can travel. Travelling with a heavy backpack or some shopping could leave you without power before you reach your destination, so it is always something to bear in mind before a journey.
CONDITION
Getting a high-quality battery from a reputable manufacturer like Razor will always make up for any extra cost in its reliability and longer-lasting power. Lower-quality batteries can cause you problems like inconstant charge times and amp hours.
Motors are also a crucial part of getting the most range from your scooter. An inefficient motor will waste power as it will be lost in unnecessary friction or heat and this will have a negative impact on the total range.
You must also make sure you keep up on maintaining your scooter. Having low tire pressure or dirt clogging the wheels will make your battery spend more power to get things moving and this will lower the range.
How can I increase the range of my Scooter?
Now you know a bit about what factors can influence the range of your scooter, you can begin to make changes to improve the total range. There are a few things to take a look at and if you notice an area in which your scooter is lacking, you can make the change and swap out parts to get the most out of your scooter.
SWAP OUT THE BATTERY
Getting a new and more powerful battery is an easy way to maximize the range of your scooter. Swapping out your original battery for a higher-powered one will give you a nice speed boost that will improve your range and get you where you are going quicker
All you need to be careful of is too make sure that the voltage you select is not high enough to become a shock hazard.
SWAP OUT THE CONTROLLER
Replacing your old controller with a controller that has a higher maximum power output will allow to squeeze just a little more out of your scooter. More power means more range, and this is a very easy way to obtain a little more of it.
You should keep in mind that if you were to get a controller that had too high a maximum power output that you might change where your scooter falls under regulation (if applicable) and this could cause you problems.
TRAVEL ON EASY TERRAIN
You are probably not going to be taking your scooter off-road, but even so, simply avoiding speed bumps and sticking to smooth paving or roads will increase the range you can get out of your scooter. Keeping off of hills or steep inclines will also help with this.
TRAVEL LIGHT
Make sure that whenever you travel on your scooter that you do not pack too much with you. A heavy load will decrease your range and therefore increase your travel time.
You could also make changes to the weight of the scooter itself. For example, you could swap out some parts that are rather heavy for some more lightweight components and see how much additional range it can afford you.
KEEP YOUR SCOOTER MAINTAINED
Making sure you are looking after your scooter is a good habit to get into. Cleaning your scooter and making sure it is well lubricated will make sure that it runs smoothly and without issue. Every now and then you should also check to make sure that all your components fit together well, and nothing is coming loose.
Summary
In conclusion, your scooter will go for anywhere up to 40 miles on average per single charge. There are any ways to make sure you are getting the most out of your scooter and may require some investment, but if you are using your scooter to commute every day then it should be worth the cost.