In this article, you will learn how and when to charge your electric scooter to extend the life of your battery and have a great riding experience. By following some simple rules, you can keep your battery healthy and enjoy it for a long time.
We will look at the cost of charging and how advantageous the electric scooter is compared to cars and motorcycles in terms of price.
How to charge an electric scooter
Charging an electric scooter couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is plug in the charger and then connect it to your electric scooter. The charging port on your scooter is usually hidden under a rubber cover to protect the socket from dust, water and other debris.
Charging your scooter should take between 2 and 3 hours depending on the model. If you have an electric scooter with a higher battery autonomy, it will probably last longer, even up to 4 hours on some models.
Most scooters have a red LED light to indicate that the scooter is charging. When charging is complete, the LED will turn green. The battery of the charger and scooter will heat up during charging, but you don’t have to worry as this is normal.
Always switch off the electric scooter before charging it. Otherwise, electric shock may occur in the circuit.
Steps to charge:
Lift the rubber flap to access the charging port
Plug the power adapter into the charging port
After charging is complete and the LED turns green, disconnect the charger and cover the charging port with the rubber flap
Always go for a full charge
It is recommended to fully charge your electric scooter battery up to 100%. Most electric scooter chargers have an LED that glows green when fully charged, while some others have an indicator on the scooter’s display or small LEDs that show the battery level. These usually flash when it’s charging.
When should you charge an electric scooter?
How to charge an electric scooter might be intuitive, but when to charge it isn’t. In order to extend the life of your electric scooter, you need to follow a few basic rules.
Don’t charge it after a ride
The reason for this rule is that the battery pack heats up while driving. It is not recommended to charge a hot battery as it will become hot during charging. This can damage the battery cells inside.
Do not drive immediately after charging
The reason for this is the same as above. The battery gets quite hot during the charging process. If you start driving straight away, the battery will heat up more and the cells could be damaged. The battery works best at around 20 degrees Celsius or 68 Fahrenheit. Performance drops when the temperature is colder/warmer.
Charge it at room temperature
It is best to wait about 15-20 minutes after a ride before charging the battery. If you have just got home, allow the battery to stabilize at room temperature before charging.
Keep your battery charged
Lithium batteries do not work well if they are not sufficiently charged. My owner’s manual recommends keeping the battery level above 30-40% at all times. If you don’t charge your battery at 30-40%, you can drop below 15% even after a short ride. Riding with a battery level below 15% is likely to reduce battery life.
Winter storage
I have already mentioned this fact in this article, but I will do it again. It is recommended to fully charge your electric scooter every 2-3 months even if you are not using it.
Electric scooters are suitable for three seasons. You probably won’t use it that much in the winter. Store it at room temperature away from cold and moisture.
Unfortunately, the damage caused by not charging the battery for a long time is irreversible and not covered by the warranty.
Cleaning
It is always advisable to clean your scooter as soon as possible after a ride to prevent damage to certain components.
You must ensure that the scooter is powered off and the charger is unplugged while cleaning. Disconnect your charger and close the rubber flap before beginning the cleaning process; Otherwise, the leaking water may damage the scooter and cause electric shock. Electric shock is dangerous because it can permanently damage the scooter’s electrical circuit and even injure you.
Can we charge the electric scooter at home
Yes of course. We can easily charge the electric scooter at home. No special socket is required to charge your electric scooter. Most electric scooters come with chargers suitable for your country’s socket. However, if you buy the scooter from a Chinese website, an adapter may be required. There are countries that use different power sockets, so you need to be aware of that.
If you travel to another country with your electric scooter, consider what sockets they have. Many people put their electric scooter in the car’s trunk in order to visit cities quickly and easily.
Can we charge the electric scooter in the office
Yes, I don’t think your employer will have a problem with that. I do that all the time. A full charge costs less than $1.
Battery temperature when charging
The battery and charger temperature increases during charging. That’s nothing to worry about. Remember to let it cool down after charging to extend battery life.
Electric scooter will not charge
If your electric scooter is not charging, you need to check the following:
Does the outlet have electricity?
Does the charger work? – they usually have a small LED light that shows the charging status
Is the charger correctly plugged into the socket of the scooter?
If your electric scooter is not charging, there is usually a problem with the charger. The best and safest way to test the charger is to use a multimeter. If the charger works and you get power (check the last end), the problem is probably with your scooter.
Diagnosing the scooter is a bit more difficult.
This problem can have several causes:
the battery may be empty
The battery controller may be malfunctioning
The main controller is broken – is your scooter display working? If your scooter has some battery life left, it should work
the internal circuit is broken
If you are still under warranty it is always advisable to send your scooter back for service. This way they can replace your charger or take a look at the scooter.
If your battery is old, the solution may be to replace it with a new one.
Charging electric scooter with solar panels
You can charge your electric scooter with any device that generates electricity. It will not be a problem to charge your scooter with solar panels, wind turbines or sea waves. The problem is building a circuit that converts it to a standard outlet that you can plug the electric scooter into.
You can make the circuit yourself using solar panels, an inverter and the rest of the circuit. You can find some information on this website.
However, there is an easier option. You can buy the entire kit on Amazon, which is basically all you need to charge your electric scooter with solar panels. Just get the solar panel kit, install it in a place where it gets sunlight and plug in your scooter. Charging the scooter may take longer than from a regular outlet, but it’s absolutely free (after purchase).
You can also use solar panels to charge other devices in your home. Here is a very powerful but expensive one:
1.5KW PluggedSolar with 1500Watt
Click here to check the product on Amazon.
You can also get a foldable panel so you can take it with you and charge your scooter while enjoying a beer break anywhere. Take a look at this one.
SUAOKI Solar Charger 60W Portable Solar Panel Foldable
Click here to check the product on Amazon.
You can use any power adapter to charge the electric scooter as long as it provides the correct outlet, voltage and wattage.
Are solar panels a good option for charging your electric vehicle?
The main problem with solar panels is their output voltage. They typically put out around 20 volts or less on a sunny day as their purpose is to charge 12 volt batteries. The charge controller, also known as MPPT, is used to increase the voltage of the panels to power devices that require more than 12 volts.
Electric scooters or bicycles do not (usually) run on 12 volts. They usually need 24V, 36V or even 48V for powerful scooters and bikes. MPPT controllers are very expensive (usually in the $300-$350 range) and typically require a higher voltage than your scooter’s battery to charge them. For example, to charge a 36 volt scooter, you probably need about 40 volts.
If we look at the best case scenario you still need 5 or 6 hours of sun with 2 large panels of around 100 watts each. The size is about 2 x 4 feet each and you can find them in the $250 range.
Portable solar panels remain the best option, but they are in fact less efficient and more expensive.
