Scooter Batteries Guide

Scooter Batteries

The battery is your electric scooter’s “fuel tank.” It stores the energy that is consumed by the DC motor, lights, controller, and other accessories.

Bigger battery packs have more capacity, measured in watt hours, and will let an electric scooter travel further. However, they also increase the size and weight of the scooter — making it less portable. Additionally, batteries are one of the most expensive components of the scooter and overall cost increases accordingly.

Voltage (V)

Battery voltage is the amount of electrical potential that a battery holds. Commonly referred to as electric pressure, it’s the measured strength of electricity flowing through a circuit.

Electricity is the flow of free electrons from a positive to a negative terminal, and voltage pushes the electrons to move in the same direction resulting in an electrical current. Without it, the electrons would move around randomly.

To simplify this, think of the circuit as a garden hose. The voltage flowing through the circuit (i.e. from a battery to other electrical components) is the water pressure in the hose. It’s this pressure that makes current flow, thereby delivering power.

Typically, electric scooter batteries fall into one of these six buckets: 36V, 48V, 52V, 60V, 72V, or 84V.

In general, the higher the voltage, the more energy that’s stored and the greater the electrical pressure. An example of this is battery power being funneled to a motor. Here, a higher voltage means a faster acceleration because of the high electrical pressure.

Amp-Hours (Ah)

An amp-hour (Ah) is a unit that tells you how much electrical charge can be supplied within an hour. It’s calculated by multiplying the number of amps by the time they’re supplied.

For example, if a battery is rated as 1Ah, it can deliver a current of 1 amp for an hour. However, it’s not always that simple; if you have a 10Ah battery attached to a device that requires 10 amps of current, it will last for one hour. But if you connect it to a device that requires 5 amps, it will last for two hours.

The higher the amp-hours of an electric scooter battery, the greater the capacity of energy stored. Here, a higher figure equates to longer mileage.

Watt-Hours (Wh)

Watt-hours are used to measure battery capacity. They are a measurement of electrical energy that’s equivalent to one watt of power expended for one hour.

It’s calculated by multiplying the battery’s voltage by its amp-hours.

For example, a 36V 10Ah battery has 360Wh of electrical energy. This equates to approximately 25-30 miles of range.

Like amp-hours, the higher the watt-hours, the greater the capacity of energy stored. Here, a higher figure equates to longer mileage.

Ultimately, watt-hours is the key metric used for comparing battery performance.

How Long Do Scooter Batteries Last?

Charge Cycles and Peak Performance

A charge cycle is a process of charging a battery and discharging it as required into a load.

The term is typically used to specify a battery’s expected life since the number of charge cycles affects battery performance.

All batteries are different, but a good-quality one can provide peak performance for up to 500 charge cycles. The peak performance of a battery is when it’s operating at its optimum level and can deliver close to the amount of power indicated by its watt-hour rating.

After a battery has been charged beyond its optimum number of cycles, it will continue to power the scooter, but you’ll begin to notice a shorter mileage.

As a general rule of thumb, cheaper batteries deliver fewer charge cycles, meaning performance decay is quicker.

• Don’t store your scooter fully charged or with the charger plugged in for prolonged periods.
• Don’t store the electric scooter fully discharged. Li-ion batteries degrade when they drop below 2.5 V. Most manufacturers recommend to store scooters with a 50% charged, and top them up to this level periodically for very long-term storage.
• Don’t operate the scooter battery in temperatures below 32 F° or above 113 F°.
• Charge your scooter  at a lower C-rate, meaning charge the battery at a lower rate relative to its maximum capacity to preserve/improve battery life. Charging at a C-rate between below 1 is optimal. Some of the fancier or high speed chargers let you control this.

How is the Maximum Mileage Figure Calculated?

The maximum mileage figure given in the specifications of electric scooters is calculated by running the scooter under standard testing conditions.

This consists of a 165 lbs person riding the scooter over flat terrain in the slowest speed setting. The battery is fully charged and then ridden until it is fully discharged. The miles traveled under these conditions are recorded as the scooter’s maximum mileage.

How to Calculate Mileage Based on Real-World Riding

Most scooter riders don’t weigh 165 lbs, won’t stay on flat terrain, and want to make the most of their scooter’s top speed.

To calculate the mileage based on real-world riding, a good rule of thumb is to multiply the maximum figure by 55-65%.

This will give you a far better idea of how long a single charge of your scooter battery will last with a heavier rider, undulating terrain, and using the fastest speed setting. For example, a manufacturer’s maximum range of 20 miles will be closer to 11-13 miles in the real world.

How to Increase scooter Batteries Life

To increase the life of your battery and make it last as long as possible, there are several things you can do:

1. Prolong Battery Life Up to 4X By Using the 80/30 Rule (Depending on Your Battery)

Depending on the battery that your electric scooter has, you may want to employ the 80/30 charging rule.

By never letting your battery drop below 30% and only charging it up to 80%, you can significantly slow its rate of degradation and prolong its life. This is particularly useful for older scooter batteries (especially metal hydroxides) since it’s best to keep batteries operating within a given range and limit their recharge cycles (commonly referred to as the memory effect).

However, the good news is that most modern electric scooter batteries use controllers that are calibrated to work with the battery to protect it from over-voltage, low-voltage, and over-discharge. In simple terms, this means that the controller knows when to limit and stop the charging process to ensure the battery charge doesn’t exceed a preset level, whilst also limiting the amount of power that can be discharged to avoid deterioration of the battery cells.

Ultimately, this means that you can charge it to 100% and run the battery until the power fully depletes, and then recharge.

2. Don’t Charge scooter Batteries As Fast As Possible

Fast charging is convenient and you may be tempted to charge your battery as quickly as possible, but we recommend only using the charger that came with your scooter. Using the wrong charger can damage the battery and shorten its life.

Some scooters do come with the option of using a fast charger, though. So long as these have been tested with your scooter and are given the seal of approval from the manufacturer, then they can be used.

However, it’s important to note that the faster you charge your battery, the hotter it will become, and excessive heat generation is the leading cause of degradation.

3. Store Your Scooter Correctly

There are two things to consider here: the charge level at which you store your scooter, and the temperature of the designated storage location.

It’s no coincidence that most batteries arrive from the manufacturers with a 40% charge. This is the optimal charge level for when you want to put the least strain on the battery and preserve its optimal performance.

Each battery also has a temperature range at which it performs best. If it’s regularly cooled or heated out of this range, it can affect its life and performance. The best temperature for most lithium-ion batteries is 59 ℉.

Battery Maintenance

Battery Management Systems

Every electric scooter has a controller (BMS)– a device that monitors and regulates all of the electrical parts of a scooter – and a battery management system is one of its features. It’s used to monitor the use of the battery to ensure optimal performance.

By protecting the battery against over-voltage, low-voltage, over-discharge, over-current, and over-temperature, the system keeps the battery operating within set parameters.

Examples of this include the system disconnecting the battery from the electrical load if it senses that the voltage has dropped below a minimum limit to avoid it from depleting all of its energy and becoming completely flat. Similarly, it limits and shuts down the power supply when the internal temperature of the battery exceeds a safe value.

It also reports key information back to the scooter’s display unit, allowing you to view things like battery level, temperature readouts, and error codes that correspond to certain issues.

Effective Charging

These 2 tips will help ensure that you always charge your scooter effectively:

1. Always use the same charger. For example, if the manufacturer offers a fast charger in addition to the standard one, don’t switch between them; choose which works best for you and use that every time.
2. If you have a scooter with dual charging ports, make sure both chargers are the same (i.e. don’t use fast and standard chargers simultaneously).

When to Replace Scooter Batteries?

An electric scooter battery should be replaced when you notice a considerable dip in its performance. This could include; taking longer than usual to charge or discharging quicker than usual.

This change in a battery’s performance indicates that some internal parts have begun to degrade and can no longer deliver their peak performance.

Can You Upgrade scooter Batteries?

With most electric scooters, the battery can’t be upgraded. The batteries are perfectly matched to the scooter’s size, style, and components and can’t be swapped for batteries of different voltages or amp hours.

Scooter Batteries Related Products:

Related Products Application:

Stop-Start Battery Related Posts: