Electric Scooter Maintenance: How To Preserve The Life Of Your E-Scooter
Hey Electric Scooter Lover……
Cast your mind back to the first time you took your beloved e-scooter for a ride. Do you remember the high-octane thrill of a super-powered engine? The satisfaction of a buttery-smooth suspension?
Fast-forward a few months or years, and you may not be finding your rides quite as satisfying anymore…
Unfortunately, just like humans, e-scooters can lose some of their gusto over time – what was once a smooth, speedy and satisfying ride can start to feel rough, sluggish and disappointing. But just as a bit of mental and physical upkeep can keep anyone feeling young, there are steps that you can take to maintain the condition of your e-scooter, ensuring that you continue to get the best possible performance out of it for years to come.
Electric Scooter Performance…..
Unfortunately, just like humans, e-scooters can lose some of their gusto over time – what was once a smooth, speedy and satisfying ride can start to feel rough, sluggish and disappointing. But just as a bit of mental and physical upkeep can keep anyone feeling young, there are steps that you can take to maintain the condition of your e-scooter, ensuring that you continue to get the best possible performance out of it for years to come.
And it’s not just about performance either – your e-scooter is designed with a multitude of safety features such as ABS and electrical protections that could be compromised by poor maintenance. This could put you – as well as others – in serious danger if things go wrong. And naturally, costs for fixing major issues will be much higher than the cost of time taken to prevent these issues from happening in the first place!
The tips and information below should form part of your regular maintenance routine to ensure that your ride is never anything less than perfect.
Tools For Maintaining Your Electric Scooter
As a general guide, you will want to have the following stocked up in your maintenance and repair kit:
- High-quality set of Allen keys
- Adjustable wrench
- Chain tool and chain breaker
- Chain cleaning brush
- Freewheel removal tool
- Bicycle Tyre Levers
- Digital Multi-Meter
You’ll also need some kit for cleaning your e-scooter, such as brushes, sponges, eco-cleaner and plenty of clean rags or cloths.
Quick 3-Step Maintenance Checklist
When Cleaning Your Electric Scooter……
- Always switch off your scooter first
- Wherever possible, do your cleaning tasks outside
- Put the hose down…many electric scooters are not waterproof
Mechanical Parts
(Handlebars, Levers, Brakes, Fenders, Throttle, Kickstand, Lights)
- Wipe down all parts with a damp cloth (warm water & soap)
- Wet another cloth with just water and wipe again.
- Dry all parts with a clean, dry cloth
Wheels & Tyres
- Clean with a wet sponge – just use water, no soap or cleaners
- Use this opportunity to check the tyres and wheels for defects or damage.
Chain
- Coat a small brush in eco-cleaner and use this to scrub at the chain.
- Wash off soap with clean water.
- Once chain is dry, use a cloth to apply lubricant to the chain.
Maintaining Your Electric Scooter’s Tyres
Always check the manual for manufacturer recommended tyre pressures and make sure that you never exceed these levels!
It is essential that, as well as regularly checking the condition of your tyres during a clean, you also keep them properly inflated.
Under-inflating your tyres
may lead to reduced speed, higher rolling resistance, inconsistent tyre wear and increased likelihood of expensive rim damage. You’ll also have to use more battery power to get the same results, which nobody wants!
Over-inflating your tyres
may lead to reduced speed, higher rolling resistance, inconsistent tyre wear and increased likelihood of expensive rim damage. You’ll also have to use more battery power to get the same results, which nobody wants!
Electric Scooter Battery
You wouldn’t drive your car without fuel, right? As the power source of your electric scooter, it goes without saying that taking proper care of the battery should be pretty high up on your priority list!
Treat your battery with the proper level of care, and you can expect it to last you for many years. Neglect it and you’ll be met with poor performance and a significantly shorter lifespan!
Each e-scooter battery is rated for an average number of charge/discharge charges – on average, this is between 500 and 1000 charge cycles, depending on the make and model of battery.
After a ride, always let your e-scooter cool down before charging the battery!
Don’t Let It Run Empty…
Manufacturers generally recommend that, in order to get the best from your e-scooter’s battery, you should charge it after each ride. This is especially important if you don’t use your e-scooter daily, as leaving the battery partially discharged for too long can cause internal oxidation, which in turn reduces the battery’s lifespan.
…But don’t overcharge it either!
While constantly draining the battery is arguably more damaging for an electric scooter, it’s also never a good idea to leave your scooter hooked up to the charger for long periods of time after the battery is fully charged. As a rule, once the battery indicator shows as full, you should unplug it as soon as possible to prevent overcharging and wearing out the battery.
Store Your E-Scooter Properly…
Store your e-scooter like you store your teabags – in a cool, dry place, not in a cupboard. Electric scooters don’t particularly like extremes of heat, rain or overly dusty or damp conditions. As such, a well-ventilated space that is cool and dry is always where you should be aiming to store your beloved ride.
Avoid extreme temperatures and wet conditions
Many electric scooters are not rated as 100% waterproof, so heading out for a ride in the rain is not advisable. But you also need to be aware of how the ambient temperature can affect your battery – it should go without saying, but excessively hot temperatures can cause your battery to overheat, potentially leading to extreme strain and potential explosions. Excessively cold temperatures can also negatively affect the chemistry of the battery and should also be avoided.
Perform a Multi-Meter Health Check
It is wise to get into the habit of checking the health of your batteries regularly by using a digital multi-meter.
If you connect the meter to your batteries and the reading is 25V or above, then this is a good indicator that the batteries are healthy.
However, if the reading shows as 24V or less, this may indicate that your batteries are in trouble and need replacing as soon as possible to maintain the best performance from your electric scooter.
We have already covered caring for your electric scooter’s tyres and battery, but your ride is made up of a far wider network of intricate mechanical parts. An issue with any of these parts can severely weaken the performance of your ride, as well as putting you – and others – in extreme danger.
Regularly performing a condition check on your e-scooter can help to reduce these sorts of issues, as well as alerting you to any potential problems before they have the chance to lead to something far more serious.
A full maintenance guide is beyond the scope of this article – your scooter’s manufacturer manual is a far better and more personalised source of information on this. Instead, we will look at a brief overview of the sorts of things you should get used to examining routinely when performing a condition check of your electric scooter.
ELECTRIC SCOOTER BRAKES
There are a number of parts involved in the brake system of your electric scooter (see your manufacturer manual for a full breakdown). Check all parts for signs of damage or wear-and-tear, replacing as necessary to maintain the safety and speed of your ride. When the brakes are fitted properly, the wheels should be able to spin unobstructed. If they don’t, you’ll want to prop your scooter on a platform and utilise a high-quality set of various sized Allen keys to adjust the brake system in order to ensure that the wheels can spin. This process can take a while but be patient – a scooter with malfunctioning or ill-fitting brakes should never be used on the road for everyone’s safety!
ELECTRIC SCOOTER CHAIN or BELT
Some electric scooters have chains, some have belts. But whatever yours is equipped with, you will want to take extra care in making sure that yours is in top condition. Switch off your scooter and carefully use a stick to test the tightness of the chain/belt.
If the chain/belt are too tight, the increased pressure could cause it to snap. If it is too loose, you will experience a loss of power and a potentially dangerous loss of stability.
IMPORTANT NOTE: As mentioned earlier, if your e-scooter has a chain, it’s good practice to clean and lubricate it. The same is not true if you have a belt system – never apply lubricant to this!
Electric Scooter Bolts
Your scooter’s manual may have a detailed diagram and breakdown of the
parts of your scooter, including where the key bolts are located. When
performing a check-up, be sure to check that none of the bolts are loose
or coming away from the scooter. Also check for any visible damage to any
bolts, but unless you’re a puzzle fanatic with hours of free time on your
hands, don’t feel like you have to remove them all to check!
This is just a basic guide for electric scooter maintenance from e-RIDES. We always advise that you refer to your electric scooter service manual first, but if you need any further assistance you can contact us on 0203 633 9748 or email us on info@e-rides.com. We don’t bite….