When is the best time and what is the best way to charge an electric scooter?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Electric scooters are extremely common in many cities in the United States. They’re fun, prudent, simple, and low maintenance. Ensuring your scooter’s battery is charged and in good working order is one of the most crucial aspects of keeping it in good shape. Even if you don’t have the owners manual, charging the battery is simple as long as you have a suitable adapter and a power outlet. In this article, we’ve covered the best time and the best way to charge an electric scooter to get the most longevity and power out of your scooter battery.
How to charge an electric scooter
It’s not at all difficult to charge an electric scooter or electric bike. It’s as simple as plugging in the battery and connecting it to your electric scooter. The charging port on your scooter is generally concealed behind a rubber cover to shield the socket from dust, water, and other impurities.
Charging an electric bike or scooter should take somewhere between three to four hours based on the model. Some might take only two hours to become fully charged.
It will take longer if you have an electric scooter with a higher battery capacity (which would allow you to ride longer on a single charge).
A red LED indicator light on most scooters means that the scooter or bike is charging. When it’s charged, the LED will light green.
During charging, both the charger and the scooter’s battery can heat up. However, there’s nothing to stress over as this is completely normal.
Always opt for a complete charge
It’s best to charge your electric scooter’s battery fully to 100%.
Most electric scooters come with an LED indicator light that will turn green when charged, while some feature a digital battery level indicator on the scooter’s display. This indicator light will normally blink while charging.
Charging electric scooters at home
You can easily charge an electric scooter at home. You don’t need any special power supply to charge your electric scooter; any regular wall outlet will do the job. The majority of models are delivered with an original charger that is compatible with your outlets.
In case you are purchasing an electric scooter through a Chinese website, you might need an adaptor. You should be aware that various countries use different types of electrical sockets.
If you’re taking your electric scooter to another country, make sure you know what type of wall outlet they have in that country.
Related Article: How To Charge An Electric Scooter At Home – A Complete Step By Step Guide
When to charge your electric scooter
1. Do not charge it after a ride.
The purpose behind this rule is that the battery warms up when during use. It isn’t smart to charge a hot battery since it will become hotter during charging.
As a result, the battery cells inside can get damaged.
2. Don’t ride it right after its charged
The reason is the same as before. The battery gets pretty hot during charging, and if you intend to go for a drive straight away, this will heat up the battery more, frying the cells inside.
The battery plays out its best around 20 Celsius or 68 Fahrenheit. So an increase in temperature will likewise decrease the battery’s efficiency.
3. Charging when scooters are not in use
You should charge your electric scooter every 3-4 months, even if it isn’t being used.
If you live in a cold climate, you won’t your electric scooter or electric bike that much in winter, so it’s best to store them at room temperature away from cold and moisture.
The harm caused by not charging your battery for quite a while is, unfortunately, permanent.
Your owner’s manual will disclose how long your scooter or bike’s battery normally lasts and the length you can travel before it becomes fully depleted and needs a battery charge.
Cleaning your electric scooter
It is often recommended to clean or least brush your scooter following a ride to prevent harm to certain parts. You must check if the scooter is switched off while you are cleaning and that the battery is not connected to a charger.
Detach your charger and close the rubber flap prior to cleaning, or else the water might harm the bike and incite electric shocks.
Electric stuns are perilous as they can harm the circuits and you.
Steps to charge an electric scooters
We’ve mentioned the best two ways to charge your electric scooter effectively and without harm.
Connecting a Charger Directly to the Scooter
Find the charging terminal on your scooter and connect the charger to the charger port:
Usually, the charging port is located at the base of the scooter. When you find it, plug in the charger until it’s paired. A word of advice, always use a suitable charger for your electric scooter as the plugs and voltage can differ. We recommemd using the original charger that was provided by the scooter company when the scooter was new.
Connect the other end of the charging cable from the charger to the wall socket:
When the charger is safely connected to the charger port, plug it into a standard socket. There should be a LED light on the charger that indicates that the current is flowing to the battery.
When the battery is charged, detach the charger from the wall socket:
Remove the charger from the scooter and the wall when your battery is fully charged. If the charger is left plugged in for too long, it can leave permanent damage to the battery.
Charging a Removable Battery for an Electric Scooter
Find the battery charger port and remove it from your frame using a screwdriver:
Many electric scooters come with lithium batteries that need to be removed for you to charge them. Usually, batteries are fitted under or in the scooter deck. Use a screwdriver to take out the screws and security panel. Once the security panel is removed, you can get to the battery and safely remove it.
Many removable batteries include cables fitted with plastic connectors in the end. Click to remove them and push them out of the terminal, sliding the entire battery out.
Unplug any battery wires connected to the scooter’s terminal:
Bigger scooters come with battery cables that are fixed into the scooter terminal with nuts. Use a screwdriver or a wrench to lose the battery cables. Try loosening the red one first. After the nuts are removed, and wires are loosened, you can easily lift the batteries.
- Always ensure your scooter turned off before connecting the battery cable
- Try not to touch the metal ends of the cable with bare hands.
Connect plastic wires into a plug-in charger:
If you have a plastic connector lining the scooter’s battery terminals, just plug them into your charger until you hear a tick. You might have a single plastic cable housing both cables or two wires with dual plastic ends.
When there are two cables, connect the red one to the positive terminal and the black cable into the negative terminal. Make sure not to force it, or it might break the plastic connectors.
Connect a two way charger to battery cables with open wires.
A two way charger has two cables ending in metal, posts, ports, or clamps linking the exposed battery wires to the electric current. Connect the red charger cable to the red cable of your battery and the black one to the black battery cable.
Make sure that your connections are firm and secure and there is no debris between the connection joints.
Connect the charger to a standard electrical outlet
Your electric scooter’s charger will include a plug that goes into an electric socket. Connect the charger into a regular socket, make sure the socket isn’t damaged or wet. Also, it is recommended to use a suitable voltage charger to avoid any severe battery damage. Again, it is ideal if you can use the scooter charger that was provided by the scooter company when you purchased your electric vehicle.
Your scooter may have a particular outlet it plugs into. Ensure the power outlet you intend to use fits your scooter or bike battery charger.
Making Your Battery Last longer
Here are a few tips to make your battery last longer than usual.
Look to check if the charging LED light is while the battery is connected:
When the wall outlet and the scooter are properly connected, a marker light will blink to show that the scooter is being charged. Typically this LED light is usually red and might be flashing, while in some models, it just gets switched on. The light becomes green when the battery pack on the scooter is fully charged.
Allow the battery to charge before the LED light turns green:
Depending on the model of your electric scooter, It can take somewhere between three to four hours to charge the battery completely.
A flashing green light means that your battery is completely charged. Charge it for any longer; you can risk damaging the battery. Refer to the owner’s manual for the number of suggested hours for charging.
Charge your battery before it dies to make it last longer:
The LED light that fits in most electric scooters indicates how much charge is left in the battery.
When it lights green, the battery is fully charged, whereas yellow or orange means it’s charged halfway, and red lights indicate the scooter has next to no juice left and should be charged right away.
Don’t wait for your scooter to be completely out of juice to charge it as it lowers the battery’s lifespan. The color displays of your scooter might differ. See the owner’s handbook for your display light details.
Bring a voltmeter to track the voltage of the battery if it’s not maintaining a charge:
If your scooter doesn’t feature an LED light or your battery fails to hold a charge, you can track the charge using a voltmeter. Most chargers will not charge faulty or dead batteries, so they can help you identify whether yours is in working condition or not. Connect the black and red test leads to negative and positive ends.
- Scooters may vary in voltage requirements, so make sure to use the right voltmeter to determine the maximum charge.
- Avoid touching the voltmeter metal probes.
If your scooter isn’t maintaining the charge, it might be time to start thinking about a battery replacement. Take a look at the owner’s manual to understand which e scooter battery is the correct replacement for your model of scooter.
It is highly likely your scooter will utilize a lithium ion battery instead of a sealed lead acid battery but make sure to check before you purchase a battery replacement.
How to charge an electric scooter on a long trip.
Travel with multiple batteries
If your trip doesn’t include any towns and you can’t get to any electric sources, traveling with multiple batteries is a clever idea. Batteries are a bit hefty but are more compact than gas generators or large solar panels. You don’t have to wait for your battery to be charged; just swap it out for a fully charged electric scooter battery and and be on your way.
Use a generator
A gas generator is a decent choice for you to charge your e-bike or e-scooter during a long trip. There are a variety of cheap and small gas generators, including an inverter that can allow you to charge your batteries in no time.
Generally, they weigh less than 30 lbs and can run for several hours on single gas tanks. You can pick a quiet one if you want to charge it during the night without hampering your sleep.
Carry a battery charger
Even if your trip lasts several days, you are sure to stop in some town for some fresh water and food. This is a good opportunity for you to charge your scooter battery.
Charging batteries with solar panels
Any system or gadget that produces electricity will charge your electric scooter. It won’t be an issue charging your scooter with sea waves, wind turbines, or solar panels. The only problem is making a circuit that turns into a wall outlet where you can plug your scooter’s charger.
You can also build the circuit yourself using an inverter, a solar panel, and few circuits that fit your purpose. Many websites teach a few tricks. Or you can buy a whole circuit on Amazon. It would be pretty cool to build your own charging station, right?!
Simply buy the solar panel kit, mount them in the spot where they can get sunlight, and plug your charger in. It is highly likely that it will take more time to charge your scooter than a regular wall outlet, but it’s totally free. Solar panels also come in handy when you need to charge other gadgets.
You can buy one here.
Charge your e-scooter from your car’s battery
You can charge your e-scooter or bike from your vehicle’s battery but do so at your own risk. All electric scooters come with Lithium rechargeable batteries which can be charged by another battery using alligator clips. Buy them here.
For you to charge your lithium battery, you’re going to need another battery with a higher Amperes and capacity than the one your scooter is using. However, this is not recommended as it can trigger multiple complications.
Avoid it all and just buy a universal charger.
Wrapping it up
Scooters are expensive and the battery makes up around 70% of its price. Charging your e-scooters might look easy but it isn’t. It’s not just as simple as plugging a charger into a power socket. If you want to extend your battery’s life be considerate on how and when to charge your e-scooter. Just keep following what you’ve learned and get the most out of your e-scooter experience.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions and answers
