Electric scooters are no good if the electric scooter battery keeps running out of juice only after a short while. This limits you to only short trips around the block, which is really not why you bought the scooter.
Buying an electric scooter battery that holds power for long and one that is guaranteed to remain in tip top condition for a long time is imperative if you want to enjoy your electric scooter.
Picking the right electric scooter battery out of the many batteries available can be difficult. That’s why we have engaged our experienced team to compile this comprehensive guide. We have also consulted a wide variety of resources including electric scooter battery brands’ sites, YouTube videos, and user feedback. By reading this article, therefore, you will know what you should do to ensure that your electric scooter’s battery lasts longer and identify the steps you should take when replacing it.
Also, batteries play a major role in our process of deciding what are the best electric scooters out there, so check our recommendation here!
Buyers Guide to Electric Scooter Batteries
Electric scooters get their power from batteries that are of different types. Each kind of battery has its own perks and downsides. Depending on what kind of battery powers your electric scooter, you will have different answers to the questions related to how to fix the electric scooter battery or how to make electric scooter battery last longer.
The three kinds of batteries are:
- lithium-ion electric scooter battery
- sealed lead-acid scooter battery
- nickel-metal hydride electric scooter battery
Lithium-ion electric scooter battery
The lithium-ion battery has been the most recently developed electric scooter battery and has become popular among scooter owners due to its large power holding capacity and small size. Although the purchase price for Lithium-ion batteries is on the higher side, the lithium-ion scooter battery remains in perfect working condition for a long time when used and maintained properly. As such, you are sure to get value for the money you spend buying a lithium-ion battery for your electric scooter. When buying lithium-ion batteries, however, note that most marketers and retail stores like to shorten the battery’s name to Li-ion.
There are five different kinds of Li-ion batteries. The name Lithium –ion means that the battery has Lithium and another metal ion that makes up the structure of the battery cells. The five Li-ion battery varieties are:
- Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2) – these batteries have a specific energy output but a short life span, low heat resistance, and limited load capabilities.
- Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn2O4) – they have high thermal resistance and are safer to use as compared to the others. Their charge cycles and their productive life, however, are limited.
- Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) – the Anode on them grows and shrinks with charge and discharge, a feature that makes the cell unstable.
- Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) – have high current rating and their life cycle is long. They also withstand high temperatures and are safe to use.
- Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (LiNiCoAlO2) – have high power densities and a long lifespan, but they cost a lot and not as safe to use as the others.
Lithium- manganese is the most common battery among the listed Li-ion batteries. The presence of manganese stabilizes the battery by reducing resistance levels within the structure of the battery, thereby facilitating a high output of current while at the same time regulating the temperatures to a low level. This makes the Lithium- manganese safe for use since there is reduced chances of fire outbreak from overheating of the battery after use for long riding sessions.
Sealed in electric scooter battery
Sealed in batteries have been in use for a long time but due to their large size, they are slowly being phased out. People prefer using small sized batteries that can fit on smaller electric scooters. They are cheap and commonly used on low end electric scooters and children’s electric toys.
Other than their large size, these batteries also pose risk when pierced or exposed. The materials inside the battery are toxic and can cause serious health issues. Charging the battery incorrectly could also cause an explosion or cause the battery to melt. It is advisable for current buyers of electric scooters and their batteries to stay away from these batteries to avoid such scenarios. This is because after settling on where to buy electric scooter battery, your next task is to ensure you get the best value for your money.
Here’s a good example of sealed in acid battery:
Nickel metal hydride electric scooter battery
Like the sealed in batteries, this kind of batteries have been in use for a long time. They are also lighter when compared to sealed-in batteries but are bulkier than Li-ion batteries. They also have a midrange price. One remarkable feature of the nickel metal hydride battery is the in-built fail-safe feature that monitors the battery cells and prevents an overcharge, which can damage the battery.
Unlike the sealed-in batteries, these batteries cannot explode or leak toxic material even in rare cases of the battery’s extreme damage that exposes the interior parts.
A downside of using Nickel Metal hydride batteries on your electric scooter is that the batteries are custom made for a specific electric scooter. In other words, the nickel metal hydride battery on one scooter only works for that specific model, make, or brand, and you cannot fit it on a different electric scooter. Such inconveniences bring about different issues when you want to replace your original battery with a new battery. Finding one that fits your specific scooter model may take you a long time and when you finally get it, the price might be too high.
How much does it cost to replace my electric scooter’s battery?
Batteries are part of the consumables on any device. This means that they require maintenance or replacement overtime. Depending on how often you use your electric scooter and what type of battery your scooter uses, the time before you require a battery replacement varies. When it is time to buy a new scooter battery, therefore, consider the prices in different stores before you settle on the one to buy. Before deciding where to buy electric scooter battery, make sure you are getting the best deal.
The online market provides a great platform that you could use to compare prices across many stores from the comfort of your phone. Carefully inspect the specifications on any particular battery and compare them to the battery that you purchased with your scooter to make sure you get the right battery for your electric scooter. Batteries have different input power ratings and output power ratings; so, make sure you get the battery that matches the power requirements on your electric scooter.
Additionally, ensure that the vendor you are buying the replacement battery from is a trusted manufacturer. The market is flooded with substandard products and replicas that are often cheap and readily available. When purchasing batteries for your electric scooter, you are better off spending more money on a battery that is guaranteed to give you a good experience and lower risk of accidents.
Before deciding where to buy electric scooter battery, be sure to read product reviews from different customers to know their experience with a particular brand of battery. You can also find forums where users share tips on how to fix an electric scooter battery on the scooter after you have purchased it, the dos and don’ts when doing the replacement, and how to make electric scooter battery last longer.
How long does an electric scooter battery last before replacement?
Replacing your electric scooter battery is unavoidable when you own an electric scooter. The battery diminishes its ability to store power the more it is used. You will notice that after using the battery for some time, the intervals between which the battery requires recharging becomes shorter and eventually, the battery does not hold charge for more than a few minutes. When this happens, it is time to replace your battery. So, how long does an electric scooter battery last? If this has been your concern, you need to know that there is no harm in replacing the battery sooner. A good time to consider replacing the battery on your scooter would be when the intervals between charging the battery begins causing you inconvenience. This is different for every owner since everyone uses their electric scooter differently.
Even after finding out how to make electric scooter battery last longer, most batteries will be good for about 300 cycles of charging. After depleting these cycles, you will notice a drop in the power holding capability. What this means is that a user who uses his or her scooter over the weekend and requires charging the battery once a week will replace his or her battery much later as compared to an electric scooter owner who uses his or her scooter daily. This is because using the scooter daily requires you to charge the battery on a daily basis.
How to make electric scooter battery last longer?
Batteries for electric scooters do not come cheap, which means that you want to get the most out of any battery that you spend your money on. The time lost between swapping a used battery with a replacement battery might also mean that you will not be able to use your scooter for some time, especially if you do not know how to fix the electric scooter battery yourself and you have to wait for a technician or a mechanic to fix it.
Extending the life of your scooter battery requires you to undertake simple procedures that enable the battery to remain in good condition and store charge for a long time. The first thing you need to do is using chargers that have current output of less than 2 amperes. Secondly, you need to monitor the battery as it charges and ensure you disconnect the charger as soon as the battery is fully charged. This will do away with the possibility of overcharging the battery.
Reducing the use of your scooter in extreme weather also helps you maintain your battery for longer periods. Extremely hot weather adds to the heat produced by the battery, thus making it lose its quality and power storage capacity much faster. When the weather is too cold, the engine of your electric scooter demands more power from the battery, thus forcing it to overwork and depreciate much faster.
Charging the scooter battery before storing the scooter for long periods is also a good way to extend the life of the battery. The battery should be stored with around 75% of charge for long term storage. It is important to note that the battery will lose charge even when not in use. It is advisable to observe the level of charge regularly and ensure that you recharge it when it drops below 25%. The reason for recharging it is because batteries that remain with low charge capacity for long periods tend to depreciate much faster.
How to charge an electric scooter battery?
All batteries on electric scooters are rechargeable, something that eliminates the need to replace the battery every time it runs out of charge. The charging process should be well outlined in the user manual that comes with the purchase of the electric scooter. Should you misplace or lose your user manual, most manufactures nowadays avail their products’ manual documents on their website or on online retailer stores. You can download and consult the user manual easily to get the procedure you should follow when recharging your scooter battery.
Most scooters will have the option of a plug in charger that is conspicuously located and mostly has a cover over it to keep dust out. The benefit of a plug in charging system is that you do not have to remove the battery from the scooter to recharge it. Simply plug in the charger to a power outlet and the other end that fits the charging port on your electric scooter. The scooter should have an indicator light that lights up when the battery is charging.
Some inbuilt batteries have optional charging systems that can be used to charge the battery externally without depending on the port that is on the electric scooter. Should you choose to charge the battery this way, ensure you are careful when removing the battery for charging to avoid damaging it. Moreover, be sure to return the battery into its original place on the scooter after it is fully charged.
If you wish to know how to charge an electric scooter battery, ensure you recharge it as per the manufacturer’s guidelines to avoid damaging it and shortening its lifespan. A common mistake among scooter users is overcharging the battery, which causes an imbalance in the chemical makeup of the components that make up the battery. A chemical imbalance means the battery loses charge faster and heats up quickly. To avoid overcharging your battery, ensure you observe the charging progress on your scooter battery ad unplug it when it is fully charged.
When you should charge the scooter battery?
Good practices that will enable your scooter battery to last for long and in good working condition includes knowing when to charge the electric scooter battery. For starters, the battery should be charged about one hour after you are done riding on your electric scooter. This will give the battery enough time to cool off before it is charged, thus giving it a long lifespan.
So, how long does an electric scooter battery last after you have recharged it fully? The battery should be charged after every ride to avoid storing the electric scooter with a battery holding a little amount of charge, which makes it depreciate quickly. Charging after every riding session is important for daily users of the electric scooter because it provides them with enough juice for the next ride.
After some time, users should know when to charge an electric scooter battery and avoid irregular charging cycles because they diminish the lifespan of the battery. For long term storage, ensure that the battery is fully charged before the electric scooter is put in your garage.
Another important rule for when to charge your electric scooter battery is recharging the battery when the scooter has not been used for a long time. Storing the scooter with the battery causes the battery to lose charge overtime and when the charge gets to low levels, it causes the battery to depreciate. Once in a month should be a good interval for when to charge your electric scooter battery if it has not been in use for a long time.
Extra tips about charging your electric scooter battery
Here, we discuss how to charge an electric scooter battery without compromising its quality. Any mechanic will tell you that continuous charging of your battery may require you to replace the charger after some time. When this happens, ensure that the replacement charger has the same power rating for both inlet and outlet specifications. It is also advisable to consult the manufacturer and get a branded charger instead of a generic one. Replacing the charger with a generic replacement one might cause the battery to charge too slowly or too quickly, which diminishes its lifespan.
Where possible, look for a charger that has an indicator light and a temperature sensor that monitors the temperature of the battery to prevent overheating. The charging process means that the battery generates a lot of heat. The smart temperature sensor works by stopping the battery from charging when it gets too hot and resumes charging when it has cooled off.
Finally, ensure that you have a designated charging area around your garage or home that is free from flammable materials, such as curtains or drapes. Although most scooter batteries are safe, there is a small chance of the battery failing tragically and resulting in a fire. Having flammable materials around can result in the fire spreading quickly and causing a lot of damage. As such, it is advisable to have a fire extinguisher in close proximity, which reduces the loss should a fire start when you are charging the battery.
How far can you ride on a fully charged electric scooter battery?
The distance that you can ride on your electric scooter with a fully charged scooter battery depends a lot on how long you have had your battery. A new battery holds more charge and can power the electric scooter for longer. So, how long does electric scooter battery last on the road after a full charge? All factors held constant, it is possible to cover a distance of 50 miles on a barn dew battery that is fully charged on some scooters. With more use, however, the power holding capacity of the battery decreases, which means that you need to recharge the battery more often. This in turn reduces the distance that you can ride on your scooter before you have to go back and recharge the battery.
The terrain where you are riding the scooter also affects the distance you can cover with a fully charged battery. Riding uphill on steep slopes requires more power in addition to the electric scooter moving slower. This means that you will end up covering a shorter distance on a full charge. A ride downhill requires less energy, thus covering a longer distance.
Your body weight also plays a part in the distance the scooter will cover on a fully charged battery. This means that people with a large body mass will travel less distance on a fully charged electric scooter.
How safe are electric scooter batteries?
When you go through the user manual that comes with an electric scooter, you will see many warnings that have to do with handling the scooter battery. Warnings like “do no store the battery in humid conditions”, “do not reverse charge”, “battery may explode if short-circuited”, “do not disassemble”, and “keep out of reach from children” could leave one wondering whether having an electric scooter exposes his or her home to too much risk.
Although accidents have been reported involving electric scooters that have been used inappropriately or are loaded with substandard batteries, properly used electric scooters are safe and convenient machines to own. By following proper maintenance and care, the majority of owners have used electric scooters with no problems reported whatsoever.
To avoid cases of freak accidents, arm yourself with information about where to buy electric scooter battery, and always hire technicians who know how to fix an electric scooter battery.
Conclusion
To enjoy using your scooter for a long time, ensure you follow manufacturer’s guidelines on how to charge electric scooter battery and only replace parts like the charger with branded replacement parts that have the same power rating as the original parts. Moreover, follow the outlined instructions about proper storage of your electric scooter and charge the battery often if your scooter has been in storage for more than a month.
Sometimes, it makes sense to replace the battery when you have had it for a long time even before it begins causing you inconveniences due to frequent charge cycles. Some scooter owners also like to have a spare battery that they can use when their scooter runs out of charge when they are away from home. In fact, your scooter’s original battery could be a great spare battery if it is still in good shape. Spare batteries should always be charged adequately because having a flat spare battery is as good as having no spare.
If you want to know more about common issues related to electric scooter battery, feel free to check out this awesome video: