If you’ve ever had the battery of your electric scooter run down faster than expected, or at a place where you could not recharge it, then you might be wondering why your scooter’s battery never seems to last as long as the manufacturers claim it should.

 

If you’ve ever been in this situation, you may be wondering to yourself:

Are the manufacturers making false claims about the range of their electric scooters? Or, am I doing something wrong?!

There are many factors that determine how long an electric scooter will last between charges. When you are familiar with these factors, you will be able to use your electric scooter in such a way as to maximize the distance it covers before needing to be recharged.

In this article, we will detail all the things you can do, or the things you need to avoid, to have your scooter batteries last as long as possible between charges, and cover as much distance as possible before the battery runs out.

 

HOW MANY MILES CAN AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER RUN BETWEEN CHARGES?

The answer to this question is usually advertised by most electric scooter manufacturers for each of their models. This value is typically referred to as the range, and is the typical distance that can be covered under normal circumstances by the scooter when the installed battery is new and fully charged.

 

WHAT ARE THE VARIABLES AFFECTING THE E-SCOOTER RANGE

These are the factors that determine how far your electric scooter will go on a single charge:

Battery Capacity:

The battery capacity is a measure of how much energy your scooter battery can store up for use. The higher the capacity of your scooter battery, the longer it tends to last between charges.

This battery capacity is usually measured in Watt Hour (Wh). Our URBO S has 230Wh Panasonic battery and the URBO X has a powerful Panasonic 460Wh capacity.

Scooter’s Power Consumption:

One other important factor that determines how far your electric scooter can go before needing a recharge is the rate at which your scooter consumes energy while being used under typical conditions.

Even if your scooter has a very high capacity battery, it may not matter much if your scooter consumes a lot of power by design or due to a fault. Scooters with higher power consumption will typically drain their batteries faster.

 

Weight of the Rider:

A heavy rider on a scooter will have the scooter batteries drained at a faster pace as the scooter expends more energy carrying all that extra weight.

 

The range advertised by electric scooter manufacturers is given with the assumption that the rider of the scooter is of average weight (around 165 lbs). So, if you weigh much more than that, do not be alarmed if your scooter cannot cover the normal distance on a single charge.

 

Terrain:

Some roads are known to drain the scooter batteries faster than normal. These include dirt roads (with plenty of sand, mud, etc), grassy ground, icy (slippery) roads, bumpy roads and gravel.

 

But the worst terrain of all (which you must avoid at all costs when riding an electric scooter) is hilly terrain. The amount of energy drained from a scooter battery while riding up a steep hill is much higher and the range will diminish very quickly

The best paths to take are smooth road surfaces, like a bike path or pavement.

 

Riding Style:

If you love hitting top speeds while riding your electric scooter, do not be surprised if the battery runs out before you can cover the distance advertised by the manufacturers.

 The relationship between the speed of your scooter and the rate at which your battery is drained is not linear – if you double your scooter speed, you may actually be tripling, or even quadrupling the rate at which your battery is drained! Consequently, you may end up only covering half the usual distance before your battery runs out.

Also, if you are fond of accelerating quickly and stopping suddenly, you’ll drain your batteries quicker. If you do this frequently while riding your scooter, you will not cover the usual distance on a single charge.

 

Tire Pressure:

This is another factor that affects the rate at which your scooter battery is drained. To get the best mileage, always keep your tires at the recommended pressure. Do not ride on partially deflated tires and expect to cover as much distance as usual.

 

HOW LONG DOES A SCOOTER BATTERY CHARGE LAST?

The amount of time a scooter battery lasts depends, to a great extent, on the present condition of the battery.

Sometimes, even if your scooter battery had a large capacity when it was newly bought, it could end up deteriorating very quickly due to poor treatment.

As a result, you could have a battery whose present capacity is less than half of the rated capacity – that is, a battery that cannot store as much energy as it used to when it was new.

 All batteries (regardless of type) deteriorate over time. However this happens gradually, over a long period of time (several months). So, if after a few weeks your scooter battery can no longer power your scooter the normal distance it usually covers on a single charge, you may be mistreating the battery. Panasonic batteries or other premium brands generally can last more than 1000 cycles while most of the less known competitors will last for around 500 cycles. So it really pays off to spend a little bit more on a high quality battery.

Make sure you charge your scooter battery only using recommended chargers. Also, before you store your battery, make sure it is fully charged, and kept in a location that is not too cold.

If you do not ride your scooter for an extended period (months), make sure you charge the battery at least once every month, even though you aren’t using it.

WHERE SHOULD YOU CHARGE YOUR E-SCOOTER?

You can charge your electric scooter either at home or at a public charging point, but doing it at home is often more convenient, as it can take hours for your scooter battery to fully charge.

 

If you need a reliable electric scooter that can cover considerable distances on a single charge, here are our recommendations:

RECOMMEND ELECTRIC SCOOTERS

URBO X

The URBO X  electric scooter is a powerful electric scooter with an impressive range of 30 miles. It also can carry a load of up to 275 lbs up a 15^o slope.

This top class product is powered by a long-lasting 12.8 Ah, 36 volt lithium ion Panasonic battery. It can also be folded, making it easy for it to be carried around whenever the need arises.

Pros -

• Spacious deck
• Impressive load capacity
• Powerful enough to ride up hills
• Foldable
• Long range
• Good top speed
• Multi-function iOS and Android apps

Cons -

•  high center of gravity

 

Hiboy S2 Pro

The Hiboy S2 Pro electric scooter has a reputation for delivering a comfortable ride, mainly due to its dual suspension system. While this electric scooter may not be toughest around and isn’t water resistant, a super comfortable ride while on smooth roads makes up for it.

The Hiboy S2 Pro weighs 36.4 lbs but can carry a load of up to 265 lbs. It can also cover up to 25 miles on a single charge.

Pros -

• Smooth rides
• Foldable
• Bright headlamps for night rides
• Multi-function Android app
• Solid puncture-proof rubber tires

Cons -

• Not water resistant
• Visible external wiring

 

Segway Ninebot ES4

The Segway Ninebot ES4 is an exceptionally beautiful, ergonomic electric scooter that performs quite well on smooth roads and is also notably quiet during rides.

The range of this electric scooter is an impressive 19 miles, and it can attain a top speed of 19 mph.

Pros -

• Ergonomic
• Exceptionally beautiful
• Silent rides
• Multi-function iOS and Android apps

Cons -

• Doesn’t perform well on rough terrain (grass, ice, gravel, bumpy roads, etc)
• Relatively expensive

 

CONCLUSION

So, those are our recommendations for stand-up electric scooters with a good range. If you are looking for something that can cover plenty of distance before needing a recharge, you should check these out.

All you need to know is that the factors that determine how long your electric scooter will last (or how far it will go) on a single charge are factors that are well within your control. In other words, there is always something you can do to improve the range of your electric scooter. And if you consistently practice these tips, you may end up not only making your electric scooter last longer between charges, but also improving the overall life-span of your beloved means of transportation!