One of the most important things about owning an electric scooter is its range. Before buying an electric scooter, you need to know that it will get you to where you need to go. Sometimes we forget to charge the battery, or our journey is longer than expected. Therefore, in this post, we will go into how to maximise your electric scooter range. By following these tips you will be able to squeeze out extra miles from your battery before you need to recharge it.

What Is Range?

When we talk about the range of an electric scooter, we refer to how far it can travel on a single charge.

It is common for scooter owners to travel shorter distances than the scooter manufacturer states is possible. The reason for this is that an electric scooter’s range depends on several factors. These factors are mainly related to your environment and how you ride your scooter. Electric scooter manufacturers will test their scooters under controlled conditions, which are very different to real world scooter riding.

What Affects An Electric Scooter’s Range?

Total Weight

The total weight of the scooter and the rider combined will affect how far your scooter will go between charges. Therefore, the range will be different for everyone. It will depend on their weight, size and if they are carrying heavy loads in a backpack. Heavier weights will require the motor to draw more power from the battery while you ride.

The Weather

Electric scooters use lithium-ion batteries, which work best at about 23°C. In lower temperatures, you should expect them to give you a shorter range. This is because your scooter’s performance reduces as more energy is required from the battery.

You may also experience a lower range when you are riding into a headwind. The increased resistance will require the motor to work harder to maintain your speed.

The Profile Of Your Journey

The range stated by the electric scooter manufacturer will be measured on a flat road. Therefore, if your journey consists of uphill riding, your motor will use more energy to climb the hills. This is also the case if you encounter speed bumps and poorly maintained roads.

Tyre Pressure

By having the correct tyre pressures, your electric scooter will ride perfectly. Under-inflated tyres will increase their rolling resistance, which will shorten your electric scooter’s range. Another issue with underinflated tyres is that your scooter will handle and brake poorly.

How You Ride

The range of your electric scooter will be dramatically affected by how you ride it. We will go into the techniques shortly, but bad habits will shorten your scooter’s range. By getting into good habits, you can make your riding more efficient and maximise your electric scooter range.

Best Ways To Maximise Your Electric Scooter Range

Here, we will highlight some simple tricks and tips to allow you to ride your electric scooter as far as possible.

1. Keep Your Tyres At The Optimum Pressure

We touched on this earlier, as we described what happens if your tyres are underinflated. But, keeping your tyres pumped up is a straightforward but essential task.

Ideally, you should check your tyre pressures before every ride. You can do this with a pump that has its own pressure gauge. Alternatively, you can buy a digital pressure gauge. These are inexpensive and are small enough to fit in your pocket. Some tyre pressure gauges even come with a keychain.

The optimum tyre pressure range will be displayed on the wall of your tyre. Therefore, there is no confusion about what it should be.

2. Carry Less Weight

Have a little think about what you are carrying with you on your electric scooter. Do you really need to take everything you have in your backpack or pockets with you?

You would be surprised at how quickly little things add to the weight you are transporting. Obviously, you won’t be able to leave everything at home. But, if you optimise the weight you are carrying, your battery will last longer and take you further.

You can start by leaving the non-essentials at home that are stashed in the bottom of your backpack. If you can get creative and think of other ways to lose some grams and kilograms, we would love to hear about them.

 

3. Optimise Your Riding Style

To extend your range, you need to look at how you are riding your electric scooter. Do you accelerate hard at every opportunity? Do you slam on the brakes at the very last second? If you do either of these things, you are using up valuable battery power.

When you drive a car as economically as possible, you tend to be more gentle on the accelerator and easy on the brakes. The principal is exactly the same with an electric scooter.

Gentle acceleration will use less battery power. Ease your way up to your top speed rather than try to get there as quickly as possible.

Paying attention to how you brake will also give you some extra distance. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pull hard on the brakes in an emergency, but letting off the brakes early and coasting to a stop will extend your range. Being aware of what is ahead of you will mean that you can ease off the throttle early and accelerate in a controlled manner.

More often than not, you don’t really need to go flat out everywhere. When you are riding in the city, you may want to choose the eco or medium modes. There is a good chance that you will still be going faster than the traffic.

 

4. Clean Your Electric Scooter

When you think of ways on how to maximise your electric scooter range, cleaning it may not be an obvious method.

Often, especially during autumn, your rear mudguard picks up leaves and twigs. These jam between your tyre and the mudguard, increasing the resistance and causing your motor to work harder. When your motor is working harder, it zaps your battery power, reducing your range considerably.

While you are cleaning your electric scooter, have a look at your brakes. If your scooter has disc brakes, they can rub, causing friction. This friction makes riding your electric scooter less efficient, costing you range.

Cleaning your electric scooter gives you the opportunity to check over other components too. It is worth inspecting the brakes, bolts and tyres to ensure they are all how they should be. Regular checks like this will keep you safe and your scooter running beautifully.

 

5. Consider Your Route

You cannot always adjust your route to avoid hills, but there may be a flatter way to go in some cases.

Every time you encounter a hill, your electric scooter’s motor needs to work much harder to maintain speed. So riding a flatter route to work will mean your battery will last much longer.

If you live in hilly areas, altering your route probably won’t make much difference. But, those that live in less hilly places will benefit from adjusting the way they get to work.

6. Be Aerodynamic

This one may sound funny, but by reducing your wind resistance, you can extend your range.

One way you can be more aerodynamic is to be mindful of what you wear. You don’t have to dress in lycra like a cyclist, but you can reduce your wind resistance by avoiding baggy clothes that flap around. When you are riding into a head wind, you will notice baggy clothes act like a parachute, while slim fitting clothes will have less wind resistance.

The benefits may be minuscule, but small things such as zipping up your jacket can make a difference to your range. When you are running out of juice, you will take any help you can get to get home.

Bonus Tip!

If you use your electric scooter for commuting, you may want to buy additional batteries. You can keep one at home and one at work for emergencies.

Having extra batteries is a great idea, as life can give you unexpected circumstances. You may forget to charge your battery or need to take a detour that extends your journey. By having extra batteries, you don’t have to worry about the unexpected.

Alternatively, you may be able to keep an extra battery charger at work. This way, you will be able to keep your battery topped up, ready for your journey home.

That Is How To Maximise Your Electric Scooter Range

These 6 tips may not make much difference to your range individually. But, when you use them all together, you will notice a difference.

It is a case of combining the small things to create a significant impact. These tips could save you from needing to carry your electric scooter home and keep you riding for longer.