How to recharge the electric scooter
Recharging the electric scooter is a very simple operation. In fact, the battery is located under the platform, so it is sufficient to connect it to the power supply and then plug it in. This without having to remove the battery for recharging, as is often the case with electric bicycles.
To keep the battery of your electric scooter healthy, it is advisable to recharge it at least once a month. Therefore during the winter period, in which it is used less frequently, it is advisable to recharge it monthly, in order to find the battery fully functional when the summer arrives. Even in summer, the scooter can remain unused for a few weeks during holidays, therefore it is optimal to fully recharge the scooter before departure.
Another good practice is to recharge it "cold", i.e. avoid charging the battery immediately after using the scooter, but wait for it to cool down.
In general, to recharge the scooter in the best possible way, you can follow a few precautions:
- keep the battery above zero: to ensure that the battery of your electric scooter is kept in good condition, it must never be completely discharged because some problems could arise. The advice is to recharge it after each use, so as to never bring it to be completely discharged.
- avoid long recharges: it is also preferable to do several intermediate charges (40-50 minutes) and a one-off full charge. In this way, a good autonomy of the vehicle and the correct state of health of the battery are maintained.
- never recharge to maximum: another aspect to take into consideration is the fact of never charging the electric scooter to its maximum capacity, to preserve the quality of the battery as much as possible. ;
- use the original charger: it is advisable to always use the original power supply supplied with the electric scooter, so as to avoid risks deriving from the use of power supplies with different voltages, which are harmful to the battery.
Duration and charging times of the electric scooter
Generally, the battery of an electric scooter needs a charging time of about 4 or 5 hours (in the most performing and expensive models, the charging time can be considerably reduced up to a hour and a half). The advice is obviously to respect the times indicated in the "instruction manual", paying particular attention to never leave the battery under charge for an extended time.
An electric scooter can travel even 50 km, but this is a purely indicative figure because the range depends on various factors including:
- the driving speed;
- weather conditions;
- characteristics of the road surface;
- rider weight;
- battery capacity and age.
Lithium-ion batteries are the ones that fit most electric scooters today, or at least the best ones. This kind of product has a defined and pre-established duration, that is, a number of refills that it can sustain before running out definitively. Basically, each recharge cycle consumes a little battery life which, consequently, cycle after cycle, will gradually become less efficient.
A good lithium-ion battery can usually withstand 1000-1500 recharge cycles after which it will become unusable or in any case less performing than at the beginning.
How to extend the life of the electric scooter battery
The methods of recharging, use and parking affect the autonomy of your electric scooter, i.e. the kilometers that can be covered before needing to recharge. Therefore it is necessary to take care of the battery immediately, paying attention to:
- avoid contact with water: almost all manufacturers guarantee that their scooters are water resistant, at least to some extent. Still, it's good practice to avoid riding your scooter in the rain. The fact that nearly all owners don't mind not riding their scooter in the rain because they have no apparent damage can be confusing. But there is a potential problem that could be missed because it shows up over time. Small quantities of water do not damage the battery immediately, but can cause corrosion and accelerate wear.
- check the pressure of the wheels: if the electric scooter has wheels with an air chamber, it is advisable to check the pressure on a monthly basis, or even more frequently if we use the scooter every day. So as to bring the tire pressure back to the ideal value (different for each model) and avoid any punctures and deformations. Driving with partially deflated tires, in fact, increases friction and this implies that the vehicle works harder to cover the same distances. This will consume more energy over time, forcing you to charge the battery more often and therefore end its life sooner.
- store your scooter correctly: When you are not using your scooter for an extended period of time, make sure you store it in a cool, dry and dark place. Furthermore, it is absolutely to avoid exposing the battery to the sun for long periods of time, as undesired chemical reactions of the substances contained in it can occur. This can be dangerous and risk completely damaging the battery, as well as significantly decreasing performance.
