How do I find an Electric Scooter ?
Tips to buy an electric scooter
Are you looking for an electric scooter and do not know what to choose from the multitude of offers available? This is primarily due to the fact that there are a lot of options and features that these scooters have, and thus it is very hard to figure out what you really need. For this reason, we decided to make an article for you in which to explain how well it is possible, what are the key features that you must take into account when choosing an electric scooter.
What is an electric scooter?
First of all we should specify what an electric scooter means. As the name suggests, it is a simple scooter that has incorporated an electric motor and a battery that are designed to help you with propulsion. It does not require gasoline, gas or any other kind of fuel and is environmentally friendly.
Simply plug your electric scooter into the outlet, wait for it to charge and you’re ready for fun!
Why an electric scooter?
Scooters are very popular both among adults and children, being very compact, easy to transport, but also able to offer you great fun. Until recently, scooters only worked if you pushed yourself with one leg, and the little ones loved them because they gave them the feeling of freedom. They were also not dangerous either considering that they could not reach high speeds. Currently, electric scooters are the most sought after, because they allow you in this way to travel much longer distances without getting tired or making a considerable effort.
Advantages of an electric scooter
Environmentally friendly
First of all, the electric scooter does not pollute, it does not emit carbon particles into the atmosphere that can be so harmful.
Ease of travel
It has a very simple design and construction, which makes the electric scooter much easier to carry. You can take it with you in the subway, tram, pass or in the car. It is also very easy to drive, you only have two throttle and brake levers.
Portability
I was saying that an electric scooter you can take it to any place you want. The material usually used for the construction of a scooter is aluminum alloy, which makes it very light.
It can be an excellent means of transport
The latest models of electric scooters come with batteries of quite large capacity, so you can use the scooter 40-50 km with a single charge. That’s why if you are tired of public transport that comes hard and is also very crowded or you do not want to waste hours sitting in traffic, then an electric scooter can take you very quickly to work, to the meeting or to school.
Fun
And this is another great advantage of electric scooters, anytime you feel like a little fun it is enough to take the scooter and go out for a walk.
What is important when choosing an electric scooter?
When we talk about the engine power of an electric scooter, we are primarily talking about the total number of watts it has. Any electric motor, regardless of its principle of operation, has a number of watts of power.
At the moment on the Romanian market, we can find electric scooters with motors that have a power between 80 – 500 W (watts). However, the choice of the engine is made according to several factors, such as: – the weight of the driver – the maximum speed with which you want to travel – the maximum distance traveled – the acceleration power
In general, for an adult, an electric scooter that has a motor under 250 W will struggle very hard when it works. The scooter will make the speed very difficult, the maximum speed will have low values, and when you have to climb a ramp you may not succeed.If you want an electric scooter just to go out for a walk in the park, then you do not have to worry about the aforementioned. But if you want to use the scooter for transport, then you will have to turn to one with a capable engine.
Battery of an electric scooter
To find out how powerful is the battery of a scooter we must take into account two specifications offered by manufacturers, namely: the number of volts (V) on the are ii has the battery and the value Ah – amps hour. But what do these figures represent and what do they help us with?
Volts (V)
The voltage is the unit of measurement of the electrical potential between two points. For example, the batteries have a positive charge (+), a negative one (-) and a connector for both poles. The rated voltage is the potential difference between the positive and the negative terminal of the battery, without load and therefore without current.
In general, the higher the battery load, the more current will pass through the circuit under load.
– 5000 mAh – enough to catch a child for a walk. The maximum distance that a scooter can travel with this capacity is 8-10km.
-8000 mAh – if you have to travel daily home-work-house commute, then the autonomy of this unit is only good to cross a distance of about 15km.
-2000 mAh – can reach a distance of 25km.
over 12000 mAh – gets to travel up to 30km.
Amp time (ah)
Amperes are the unit used to measure electric current. Electric current is the amount of energy that passes through a wire at any given point. For example, a battery with a value of 8 Ah will discharge completely in an hour if it has a load that produces eight amps.
However, to find out what engine power and what battery capacity is best to choose is more complicated, because another value will enter this equation. Thus, you have to calculate according to the engine – battery – engine controller. Thus, if you multiply the number of volts of the battery by the number of amperes of the motor controller hour you will get the watt power of the electric scooter that you can compare with the declared power of the motor. This way you will know if the product you have found is a good quality one or not.
Charging an electric scooter
All batteries of electric scooters can be recharged using either a socket charger that is engaged directly to the scooter, or an external charging unit. The advantage of scooters that have external chargers is that they have a lower overall weight and are less likely to spoil the charger, because they will not be subject to vibrations that occur while driving especially because of the quality of the roads.
It is very important to remember that one of the factors that determine the battery life of an electric scooter is whether it has been charged correctly, according to the instructions. Another thing to keep in mind is not to overload the battery of the scooter. When overloading a battery, its chemical composition changes, thus reducing its service life. Almost all existing scooters have an indicator to show you that the battery is fully charged. There are also batteries that have additional overload protection, so it is important to ask this when purchasing an electric scooter.
Castors of an electric scooter
Just like with a car, the wheels of an electric scooter are essential to ensure your safety and optimal performance. There are scooters that come with wheels made of polyurethane or rubber. And between them there is the possibility that the wheel is made completely of material or is filled with air.
It is unlikely that the rubber wheels will provide shock absorption during the trip, so it is important to always check the hardness of the rubber as well as the percentage of rubber on the front and rear wheels. Also, indoor air wheels are much more comfortable, especially for roads in Romania. But the risk with these is that you can make it much easier. For comfort there are also variants of electric scooter with suspension, which makes it much more comfortable but also a little longer and heavier.
However, if you have back problems or simply want a scooter that better absorbs shocks from the asphalt, it would be best to look to test before buying.Also, another important aspect regarding the wheels of a scooter is their size. A set of larger wheels will help you catch a higher maximum speed and move more easily on roads with many bumps or potholes. The disadvantages of larger wheels would be that the scooter will accelerate harder and will be even harder to control, especially if you go to very crowded areas.
Electric scooter handlebars
The most important thing to keep in mind in the handlebars is the possibility to adjust it according to your height in order to be able to sit comfortably. Most of the time, the handlebars are made of aluminum or steel, depending on the manufacturer and is made of a single piece to be more resistant. The general shape of the handlebars is similar to the letter “T”.
Folding the electric scooter
Probably the biggest advantage of scooters over bicycles is that they can fold, so you can easily take them in the elevator, in the subway, at the office or on the train. It is true that not all scooters are foldable, but choosing one that folds or does not matter strictly for how you plan to use and store it.
The folding mechanism can be the classic one if we are talking about a cheaper electric scooter, or it can become more and more sophisticated, even reaching the point of folding the scooter by a simple push of a button. What you choose in this case depends only on the preferences you have, it does not influence with anything the performance of the scooter.
Electric scooter brakes
The brakes of an electric scooter can be of two types: the mechanical brake on the rear wheel and the magnetic brake on the handlebars.
The mechanical brake is the same as with any normal scooter, to stop you have to press with your foot above the rear wheel. The magnetic brake (which is not found on any model of electric scooter) is an electronic motor brake that has a button on the handlebars that the harder you press, the more braking force will be applied. It is a very good method to slow down the scooter. However, you should know that if it happens that this brake does not work, you will always have at your disposal the mechanical brake, which can not fail.
Do we recommend electric scooters or not?
In conclusion, we can only recommend electric scooters to all people who want to give up public transport or personal car, but also to those who just want to have fun in their free time. What do you think about electric scooters? Tell us in the comments your opinions and if you would like to go on such a gadget.
