Congratulations! You finally have your electric scooter. You can ride it to go to work, meet up with friends, or take some time to zip through the city. The feeling of having your new toy on the road is exhilarating, and goes well with the freedom of not having to worry about constant maintenance. No more regular trips to the mechanic or agonising about high petrol costs.
But then, your e-scooter runs out of battery, and it’s easy to know what to do next. Just plug it in and leave for a couple of hours. No problem, right? Not really.
To avoid decreasing the lifespan or efficiency of your e-scooter battery, you should be mindful of how to charge it properly. If not, you’ll end up with a battery that’ll drain faster, which would dampen your scootering experience as you can’t enjoy the maximum range capacity your ride offers.
To help you prolong the battery life, we’ll talk about how to charge your electric scooter and tips on how you can avoid those pesky battery problems that might leave you stranded while riding.
How To Charge Your E-Scooter?
The manual that comes with your e-scooter typically includes instructions on charging it. In case there isn't one, follow these steps to ensure you're doing it correctly and safely.
Select A Room-Temperature Area
Considering that charging your e-scooter slightly heats up the battery, the best thing you can do is to plug in your ride in a dry, room-temperature environment. Avoid charging it in a room with extreme temperatures, such as rooms with fireplaces, powerful heaters, or basements/ garages.
So, if the space is hotter than 45°C or colder than 0°C, look for another place to charge your electric scooter. If you can’t, wait for the area to reach room temperature. Another option would be to charge it somewhere with enough airflow to help the battery cool down.
Beyond that, make sure not to place your scooter in close proximity to heaters or air-conditioners while charging.
Make Sure Your E-Scooter Is Not Turned On While Charging
When your electric scooter is on while you’re charging, the system is simultaneously charging and discharging the battery. This is detrimental to its lifespan, so it’s better to turn off your ride while it’s plugged in.
You can monitor the charge status with the charger's indicator, the LCD screen, or even your smartphone if your e-scooter has an app.
Connect The E-Scooter Charger To A Wall Socket
The general rule of thumb is to plug the charger into the wall outlet first, then connect it to the e-scooter. This is the safest route to protect the battery and its output capacitors from damage. Of course, if the manual of your scooter states otherwise, you should follow that.
Additionally, this act allows you to save your e-scooter as well. If something goes wrong when you plug the charger into the power outlet, like a short circuit, at least it’s not connected to your ride yet. By doing so, the damage is limited to the charger only.
Connect The Charger Into The E-Scooter Charging Port
After plugging the charger into the wall output, the next step is to remove the cover on the charging port on the e-scooter. But before connecting the charging head to the e-scooter, check if the connector and port are clean.
Beware though, chargers are often keyed, so they will only go in one direction when connected to the scooter. Thus, you need to be careful and ensure you link it correctly.
Wait For Your E-Scooter To Charge
Many, if not all, chargers are designed with a light indicator to let e-scooter owners know of the battery charging status. Typically, brands give an estimated charging time, but that may change in reality.
Here are ways to check the status:
- Green Light Indicator - the electric scooter is fully-charged
- Red Light Indicator - it means that the e-scooter is still charging
The manual may differ, however, depending on what scooter you have.
If you want to achieve the maximum range the scooter offers, you'll need to charge the battery fully. But, when you don’t have enough time, you can still use the e-scooter despite not being 100% charged.
Still, as much as possible, keep your e-scooter charged to reach 100% or near it to reduce the chance of draining the battery when riding your scooter.
Tips For Prolonging Electric Scooter Battery Life
Use An Original Charger
Chances are you’ve experienced having a broken charger with one of your gadgets. Something similar could happen with electric scooters, and if it does, don’t be tempted to buy a counterfeit version. You also shouldn’t experiment by using a charger from a different brand or model.
The best choice is to buy a new original charger, preferably from your distributor or another trusted establishment to ensure its authenticity. But, if it’s not available and you need a new charger ASAP, then have it repaired.
Don’t Overcharge It
Once you reach your desired battery status, promptly disconnect the connector from the e-scooter before unplugging the charger from the wall outlet. Avoid leaving it plugged in after it’s fully charged.
The good news is that many e-scooter manufacturers have designed their products with Battery Management Systems that include protection from overcharging. Although the built-in protection is useful, it's still best to avoid leaving it plugged in.
Don’t Ride Your E-Scooter Immediately After Charging
When that light indicator on the charger turns green, the feeling of excitement rushes through as your e-scooter is ready to bolt through the streets again. But, hold your horses.
You should wait a few minutes or until the battery cools off before riding your scooter. Remember, the battery heats up while charging, so using your ride immediately after removing the plug can increase the temperature even further, which may lead to overheating.
For Long-Term Storage
In the event your e-scooter won't be used for a while, you need to store it properly to avoid depleting its battery life. One tip is to not pack away your scooter in its fully-charged or discharged state, especially if it’s equipped with lithium-ion batteries.
Why? Because the number one battery killer, according to Electric Scooter Guide, is storing lithium-ion batteries fully discharged, accelerating their degradation.
Temperature is also a crucial factor in preserving a battery. Finding the optimal temperature may vary depending on the brand or model, and it might be included in the manual, so read it.
But, if it’s not stated, the rule of thumb is to NOT keep your e-scooter in a room above 30°C or somewhere extremely cold. It’s best if it’s stored away in a room temperature environment.
Moreover, even when your electric scooter is not in use, make sure it is charged at least 40% or whatever is specified in the product manual. Plus, you’ll need to check its battery status every 4 to 8 weeks since the system may be self-discharging.
Operate Your E-Scooter Within A Certain Percentage of Its Battery Capacity
Increase your scooter’s battery life up to 4x by achieving the “sweet zone” by operating it between 30% to 80% of its capacity.
You can do this by knowing the type of battery and its specs like the volts (V), watt-hours (Wh), and ampere-hours (Ah). These are most likely included in the manual or can be found on your distributor’s website.
Don’t Fully Discharge Your E-Scooter In Less Than An Hour
Avoid riding your e-scooter to the point where the battery runs out in just under an hour. Such an act can be disastrous to battery health.
Of course, if you have a ludicrous-level scooter or you’re speeding up in rough trails, discharging the battery at a rapid rate is most likely unavoidable. But, it still wouldn’t hurt to be mindful of the battery status, especially if you ride your scooter in a high-speed manner quite often.
When Should You Charge Your Electric Scooter?
After reading the hows (charging an e-scooter and prolonging battery life), it’s time to ask yourself “when should I charge my electric scooter?”
Should you plug it in after every ride? Should you wait until the battery reaches a certain percentage? Or should you just let the battery drain completely before charging?
Let Your Electric Scooter Cool Down
While you ride your e-scooter, the battery heats up. You can’t charge your already-heated battery because its temperature will increase even more as it’s plugged in.
Just remember that batteries and heat don’t go well together. After using your scooter, let it cool down for at least 30 minutes, especially if you’ve come from a long trip. That 30-minute wait can go a long way to preserve battery life.
Ensure That Your Electric Scooter And Charger Dry
Occasionally, riding your e-scooter in dreadful weather conditions is inevitable. As such, your scooter gets wet and water may end up where it shouldn't be, like the battery case. If that’s the case, make sure you dab your ride with a dry towel or leave it to dry off by itself for a while or until you see no more wet spots.
However, if you choose to dry your scooter yourself, be careful. Wiping the water off with a towel may be tedious, but it protects the e-scooter. Another tip is to not use a hairdryer to speed up the process since it may shove the water inside the scooter.
Charge Your E-Scooter Before It Gets Completely Depleted
Want to prolong the battery of your electric scooter? Don’t drain it completely before plugging it in. Start charging your e-scooter before the battery reaches 0%. For optimal battery performance, some brands offer suggestions.
For instance, Joyor said that its electric scooters should always be charged at a minimum of 10%. Additionally, the brand mentioned not to leave the e-scooter significantly discharged for hours.
One of the ways to save battery while riding is to not go at full speed, especially if you’re commuting (also useful for safety reasons). As a result, the battery doesn’t have to produce as much power, which depletes it faster.
At Electric Kicks, we suggest charging your battery when you have 10-15% left.
Charge Your E-Scooter Regularly
Charging your electric scooter after every use is not obligatory. But ideally, you should keep your battery between 30% and 80% charged. Thus, you can avoid draining it to dangerously low levels often. Although, you’ll need to fully charge your e-scooter if you’re planning on getting the most range possible.
Another advantage of regularly charging your e-scooter is that you won’t be blindsided when you need to use your ride. You’ll find it charged and ready to take you to your destination. Think of it as sustaining the battery life, so it has the power whenever you want it.
Why Is The Electric Scooter Not Charging?
Upon completing all of the steps and finding that the e-scooter is not charging, you can check the following:
- Check if the socket/wall outlet is working. You can try to charge another gadget to confirm if it has electricity.
- Check the charger itself. The LED light indicator should be lit if it is working.
- Lastly, if it’s still not working after doing the first two steps, check whether you plugged in the connector correctly to the e-scooter.
If your scooter still does not charge after completing all the steps above, you might have a defective charger. To check this, you can use a multimeter to test the charger’s voltage output. When the multimeter shows voltage equal to the capacity of the battery, it means the charger is fine, and the e-scooter is the problem.
Once that’s the case, diagnosing the problem gets harder since there can be multiple causes. Here are some of the other reasons why your e-scooter won’t charge:
- There may be damage to the internal circuit
- Possibly a dead battery
- There could be a problem with the battery controller
- Possible failure of the main controller
If you don’t have the technical expertise, it’s best to send your e-scooter back to your distributor. Depending on your warranty, you can have your charger replaced. And if it’s a bigger problem, they can execute repairs and replacements as needed based on their policies.
Conclusion
Battery longevity for electric scooters is easy to achieve if you know how to do it right. But if not, the battery lifespan can be cut short. Thus, leaving you with an e-scooter you can’t enjoy until the problem is fixed.
Typically, you can find instructions on how to charge the battery or any related information in the manual that comes with your purchase. Alternatively, if there are no directions, there are general protocols to guide you and protect the battery and e-scooter.
What’s more, knowing when to charge your e-scooter can help you dodge any risks of damage to the battery.
In conclusion, a few specific steps and a bit of patience can make a huge difference to the longevity of the battery in your e-scooter.