5 Tips on How to Maximize Your E-Scooter Range

The last thing you want when you're cruising around town, commuting to work, or simply heading out into the big blue yonder on an adventure is your e scooter to run out of charge before you get home.

But the electric scooter’s range depends on several factors, the majority of which are related to the rider’s weight, riding style and commuting environment. For example - if you ride off-road or on poorly maintained roads, expect the range of your electric scooter to drop significantly.

But that's not to say you can't squeeze out as much travel range from your electric scooter as possible. So what can you do to maximize the range of your e-scooter and enjoy more rides than you are used to?

Here are our five top tips...

1. Pump up the tire pressure on your electric scooter to factory-recommended PSI

Tire pressure has a direct impact on the electric scooter’s range. Inflating the tires to their recommended pressure limit means there's minimal contact between the tire and the ground.

And when there's minimal contact, there's reduced rolling resistance—meaning your electric scooter motor doesn't have to work overtime, therefore requiring less power. And a scooter that needs less power, can conserve energy, helping you go the extra distance.

On the other hand, the less inflated the tire is, the more the tire's surface area touches the ground. This translates to increased rolling resistance, less energy efficiency, and ultimately, a lower range.

Another problem with under inflated tires is the brakes will handle poorly.

That being said, don’t inflate the tires too much, especially if you’ve not fully mastered your scooter. Overinflated tires feel slippery and unstable. They don’t ride perfectly and may pose a safety issue.

First, consult the owner’s manual for the factory-recommended PSI to increase the range. Sometimes pressure requirements are different for the front and rear wheels. If you weigh closer to the scooter’s max weight limit, increase the pressure a bit more and see how your modified ride reacts.

Your ride will be less stable if you inflate your tires too much. If you are concerned about your safety, keep tire pressure at the recommended PSI until you gain confidence with your e-scooter.

Naturally, inflating the tires is only applicable to scooters with pneumatic tires. Scooters with solid rubber tires don’t need pumping up before you hop on their scooter. They're always good to roll, plus, they're puncture-proof too.

2. Pay Attention to Your Riding Habits

Sometimes, extending the range on your electric scooter simply boils down to changing a few bad habits.

What riding habits can extend the range of your electric scooter, you ask?

Check out some of these:

Ride in Power-Saving Modes

Riding in speed modes drains the battery faster, resulting in a shorter range. But when you ride in power-saving modes, you have the benefit of getting the best possible battery life.

Bear in mind speed modes vary a great deal between electric scooters. As a general rule of thumb, ride in slower modes with lower-end scooters and higher speeds with beefier, higher-end scooters.

Turn Off Unnecessary Electronics

To extend your electric scooter range, switch off any unnecessary electronics when riding. At the end of the day, your range is limited to how much juice you can squeeze out of the battery. If you're not draining it powering unnecessary electronics, you can expect to eek out a few extra miles.

For most electric scooters, here are a few things you can turn off:

• The lights, if not riding during the night
• The Bluetooth, if not currently in use
• The reflector lights, if your scooter has them

By turning off any electronics draining the battery, all your battery needs to worry about is keeping the scooter running. Thus, it won’t drain as quickly, and you can get more range on a single charge.

Optimize Your Riding Style

If you find yourself accelerating hard at every opportunity, slamming on the brakes at every speed bump, or doing both, you are consuming valuable battery power.

You have to ride your electric scooter “economically” if you are looking to go the extra mile.

To do this, be as gentle as possible on the accelerator. Try and ease your way up to the scooter’s maximum speed instead of accelerating quickly.

Similarly, watch how you use your brakes. Don’t pull the brakes hard every time you need to slow down unless there is an emergency. When letting off the brakes, do it early to give you more range.

Adjust Your Brakes

Brakes that are too tight will cause more friction. If that happens, the motor will need to work harder, zapping the battery power and reducing range. Ensure the brakes are correctly set to avoid unnecessary friction.

Electric scooter brakes include cable brakes, disc brakes, and drum brakes, as well as electronic brakes and more.

To loosen the brake, undo two bolts holding the brakes in place. Then adjust the brakes by hand until there is no more interference with the tire rims or scooter rotor.

3. Upgrade to a Bigger Battery

Have you noticed that your electric scooter is speedier at the start of the trip before slowing down as you get into the ride?

This happens when the battery has limited charge cycles left. A solution to this is simple: upgrade to a bigger, more powerful battery.

The electric scooter battery plays a significant role in how far your e-scooter can go. Upgrading to a battery with a higher voltage gives you an immediate boost in range.

However, not all scooters support a battery upgrade. You can only make this upgrade if your e scooter model can support higher voltage levels than your current battery delivers.

Apart from the voltage, it would help if you also considered the battery’s charge, expressed in Ampere-hours (Ah). The higher the Ah is, the more charge the battery can store. As a result, you get a better range.

Add a Second Battery

If upgrading to a bigger capacity battery is not part of your plan, adding an extra battery is an idea you might want to consider.

Some electric scooters come with a slot reserved for an extra battery. In that case, all you need to do is connect the two batteries to double the power to your scooter.

Adding a second battery is much safer than upgrading the original battery. You don't have to mess around with the battery wires and connectors. You just need to connect a secondary energy source, and you are good to go.

Be aware though that there are disadvantages to connecting two batteries. First, two batteries will make the scooter heavier and less moveable. And secondly, it will take longer to reach a full charge.

Think carefully before choosing this option.

Maintain Your Scooter Battery

Maintaining a healthy battery is not a direct approach to getting a more extended range. However, it will prevent your electric scooter’s maximum range from dipping.

In general, all batteries deteriorate over time. Most electric scooters are powered by lithium-ion batteries which have 300-500 charge cycles or a lifespan of about 2-3 years.

You can expect the battery to wear down each time it powers the scooter. To prevent the battery from wearing down faster than normal, never let it drain completely. And recharge the battery before it gets less than 15%.

On top of that, don’t expose the battery to extreme temperatures. Lithium-ion batteries work best at temperatures around 77˚F (25˚C). Higher temperatures shorten the battery’s life, while lower temperatures cause it to hold less power.

4. Keep Rider Weight to a Minimum

The total weight of the electric scooter itself, combined with that of the rider, can significantly affect how far the device can travel between charges.

You will achieve a longer range if you can cut off the load or modify the scooter’s weight.

Here is what you need to do to unleash the scooter’s travel range:

Carry Less Weight

Carrying more load than the scooter can support is a recipe for a reduced range. How far you can go with an electric scooter depends on your weight and how much load you have on board, such as a backpack, bag and other stuff.

You can find information about the correlation between weight and range within the owner’s guide. But to ease things up, heavier loads mean more power is drawn from the battery, hence a decreased range.

We recommend carrying only the essentials and leaving non-essential clutter behind to minimize the load on your scooter. You’d be surprised at how far the scooter can go if you remove the little things stashed in your pockets, backpacks, etc.

If you can lose some weight, too, that would be even better. It will significantly minimize your scooter’s daily weight, contributing to battery longevity. Moreover, cutting off some of your pounds can help you stay fit too.

Modify the Scooter’s Own Weight

The scooter’s weight doesn’t always come from the load—but rather, the scooter itself.

Modifying the scooter’s weight will make it more energy-efficient, thus giving you extra mileage.

Of course, there are several concerns associated with this method, including:

• Modifying the scooter may void your warranty
• Modifying the scooter can affect its stability, posing a safety concern
• You need to know how to modify a scooter, or else find a professional to do it

Shedding a few pounds off an electric scooter can help it unlock a greater range. But we don’t recommend you do this if you don’t know exactly what to do.

Consider less extreme ideas such as getting lighter tires and fenders or ditching aluminum parts favoring lighter carbon fiber ones. You could also consider removing all unnecessary accessories such as phone holders.

Essentially, leave the heavy customization to professional technicians. After all, it may be worth it if you really care about going a few extra miles.

5. Rewind the Motor

A final trick to prolong the scooter range is rewinding the motor. Like all mechanical parts, motors are subject to gradual wear and tear.

Worn out motors will often overheat and cause the coils to become shorter. Try and increase the motor coil windings for better torque and higher RPMs. Doing this effectively increases the electric scooter speed and range.

Be careful while doing this, though. Motor rewinding is a complicated mechanical procedure. Unless you know how to do it and have the requisite equipment, you may trigger a series of short circuits and endangering your scooter.

If you don't know what you're doing, you can do more harm than good.

To Sum It Up

Ultimately, maximizing the electric scooter range has a lot to do with paying attention to how and where you ride your electric scooter, how much pressure you have in your tires, what condition your motor is in, and regular maintenance of your e-scooter battery to keep it in mint condition.

While hiring a technician to perform the more advanced upgrades can create a more significant impact, small DIY fixes can help prolong your scooter’s max range.

Implement these five tips, and you should notice a big difference in how far your electric scooter can travel on a single charge.

Have fun out there!