Tips Archives - Electric Scooter Tips

It would be correct to say that electric scooters are the future transport and a revolution in the transportation industry. Electric scooters are plugged-in electric vehicles with either two or three wheels. Their electric motor is driven by the electricity that is stored on a board inside a rechargeable battery, which in most cases, is a lithium-ion battery. They usually take about 8 hours to get charged completely. Electric scooters do not require that much maintenance. They are most preferred as compared to other modes of transportation and equally popular in adults and elderly people. Due to their sleek design, they can easily pass through the heavy traffic jams and are easy to park as they do not cover much space. As they are electrically driven so do not produce smoke. They are not driven by any fuel, so do not produce much noise. Please note making an modifications to an electric scooter will make any manufacturer warranty void. How can I make my electric scooter go faster? There are a few ways to do this, including: Removing the speed limiterImproving the battery powerAdding a battery/adding a third batteryUpgrading the motorChanging the sprocketsRewinding the motorIncreasing aerodynamics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaVGR4qP6lE The fast speed of an electric scooter is desired, especially when riding in a hilly area. The maximum speed covered by an electric scooter is 20 to 30 km/hr, which makes about 12 to 18 miles. The maximum speed of an electric scooter also depends upon the model, and the manufacturer of the scooter, for example, the Works Electric Rover BR2, can run up to 35 miles per hour. Riding at high speed or more than that on normal terrain can be troublesome as it can cause an electric scooter to topple, and this can lead to accidents. It is a fact that electric scooters are not manufactured to be driven fast. They have been made as an affordable mode of transportation as compared to a car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1QM71ioTBo Parts of an electric scooter Batteries – are the source of electric power. Belts – they are also known as drive belts and are used to propel the bike. Brakes –when applied, they slow down or stop the electric scooter. Chain – it connects to the motor Chargers – they are used for propelling the bike. And connect the motor and the wheel cog/sprocket. Controllers – they act as mini-computer and connect all the parts into one system. Motors – they propel the scooter. Sprockets – it is the center point attached to the wheel and is driven by the motor. Switches – they are the buttons that turn on the system.Throttles – they are triggered to accelerate the electric scooter.Tires & Tubes – tires are the rubber exterior while tubes form the airtight interiorWheels – they serve as the host for the tire/tubes. Tips and tricks to make an electric scooter run faster There are many tips that can be opted to make an electric scooter run faster. Some of them would be discussed in this article. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqsqTERDwSU Removing the Speed Limiter Most of the electric scooters are manufactured to be driven fast as compared to how fast they actually move. In some countries, as electric scooters become popular, some restrictions are imposed on their speed limits. In this regard, the manufacturers add the speed limiters in the scooters as well. These restrictions are set on the speed limit of the scooter, and they have to be followed. Before buying any tool to make an electric scooter go faster, it is important to check these speed restrictions first; otherwise, you could face heavy fines or, ultimately, the confinement of your scooter. These speed limiters are inbuilt, and they ensure that the battery is not overpowered by the Motor. It is a legal necessity to add a speed limiter to an electric scooter during manufacturing. How this speed limiter can be removed depends solely on the model of the electric scooter. If you have a modern and high-quality scooter, then the speed limiter can easily be disabled from the digital display on the handlebars. On the contrary, you need to have expertise on the software of the electric scooter completely if you want to dismantle the speed limiter by yourself. It should also be kept in mind that if the speed limiter is removed, then obviously the battery would drain much faster, so to keep yourself away from this hassle, always keep a battery charger with you. Improving the Battery Power The pushing power to the motor of an electric scooter is provided by a battery, and if the battery life is not sufficient, the scooter can not run faster. This is quite evident when the battery becomes old with time, and the speed of your electric scooter starts decreasing due to the low charge of the battery. Insufficient battery life does not provide enough pushing power to the motor resulting in the slower speed of an electric scooter. So another good way to improve the speed of your scooter is to increase the size of the battery. Improving the size of the battery is an easy way to increase the speed as compared to removing the speed limiter. The battery of the electric scooter has a lot to do with the power. Obviously, if there is a limited source of power, then it means that power is not enough to make a scooter run faster. The power of an electric scooter can be increased by increasing more voltage. This can be done by replacing the old battery with a more powerful new scooter battery. By enhancing the voltage through an electric scooter, it can make the motor run faster. One has to be very careful in replacing the batteries because it can break your scooter easily. Adding a Battery Another way to enhance the speed of your electric scooter is to add another battery instead of replacing the existing one. It should be noted that adding another battery to an existing one does not make much difference. The extra battery only allows you to hold a better charge, and your scooter can have the maximum speed for a much longer time. This is good, especially for long trips. In addition to the extra battery, if you remove the speed limiter too then, this can make a significant difference in the speed. Adding a Third Battery If adding an extra battery is still not enough, then you can add a third battery. However, in this case, an extra port has to be purchased, too, because all the electric scooters do not have the capacity to accommodate a third battery. You also have to make sure that the extra batteries should not overpower the electric scooter; otherwise, it may end up into a short circuit. Upgrading the motor Another alternative way to improve the speed of the scooter is to upgrade its motor as it is responsible for how fast a scooter can run. Similar to the batteries, different types of motors with varying capacities are available. Their capacities may range from 200 watts to 8000 watts. While replacing the motor, you should make sure that the motor is adequate for the power of your scooter. For example, if you are upgrading your motor to 2000 watts, then a 24-volt battery is not sufficient to charge this motor; it's better to install a 48-volt battery. If an overpowered motor is added to your existing system of the scooter, the batteries may burn out as soon as the scooter is started. It also poses the risks for fire hazards; therefore, it is recommended to opt for the equal level of batteries and the motor. Changing the Sprockets Sprockets are not that much costly and are easy to work with. The front sprockets can be replaced with the longer ones while the shorter sprockets can be put at the rear. Changing the sprockets can add a few extra miles. Rewinding the Motor For rewinding the motor, just look at the coils for the brushed motor. For rewinding the motor, actually, you decrease the number of windings in each coil. By decreasing it, the number of revolutions per minute increases resulting in a lesser torque. This modification is advanced and requires caution; otherwise, you may end up ruining your scooter. Increasing Aerodynamics It is not necessary to make modifications every time in order to increase the speed of the scooter, especially when it comes to modifying the software. By changing the aerodynamics, you can still add some extra miles.this can be done by removing some extra accessories from the scooter which are not that much important. By doing so, you can remove the extra load on the scooter hence making it lighter in weight. For example, the luggage basket on the rear of your electric scooter can decrease your speed, by removing it, you can increase the speed. Electric scooters are meant for urban use. They are not made to be driven on highways at a fast speed. If you are riding an electric scooter around the town, then increasing its speed is not an issue and is not required at all. Installing additional battery upgrade on Xiaomi Mijia M365 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cVhkCoIi4U&feature=youtu.be Instructions: Add a connector to the original battery, without soldering on it.Make an extension cable for the external battery.Mount the external battery. Parts needed: 36V Li-Ion battery (use 8Ah or more)2 x XT60 joints1 x XT30 joint1 m of red & black 14AWG wireHeat shrink tubingCar fuse holder on a wire25A car fuseQuality solder and flux The process: 1. I started by soldering two short wires to an XT30 male connector: Use a lot of flux and make sure there is no cold soldering. I set my soldering iron to 400°C for the whole process, I think it’s a good temperature to solder wires this thick. I also used a wide soldering tip. 2. I cut a piece of insulation in the middle of each wire and placed two small heat shrink tubes on each of the wires: 3. I soldered a female XT30 on the other side and used two of four heat shrink tubes to seal the connections: 4. I made a female XT60 connector with short wires: 5. I soldered the XT60 cable to the points on the XT30 cable I cut before: Again, use as much flux and solder as needed to make quality joints. These wires are going to pass high currents. Badly soldered joints can heat up and desolder or cause fire. 6. Shrink the tubes we attached before to finish this Y connector: 7. Attach the connector to the battery and the controller: The scooter should be able to turn on after you attach this. I ran the scooter for some time to test if nothing heats up. My test went smooth and nothing was heating up. If it did, I’d re-solder the joint that causes it. 8. Make an extension cable with a male XT60 on one end and pass it through the scooter frame: Mine turned out to be around 70 cm, which is more than enough.I forgot to make a photo before inserting the cable, sorry :) 9. Add a car fuse holder and another male XT60 connector to the extension cable: Use long pieces of heat shrink tubing to prevent it from ever slipping, as this part will be moved and rubbed against much more than the internal parts. I used a 25A fuse, as was shown in the other guides. 10. Connect the extension cable to the Y connector: Use a multimeter to test if you have voltage on the outer end of the cable. If not — check the joints and if you forgot to install the fuse. Also the cable might have been damaged while you were inserting it, check for that too. 11. Mount the battery housing with the battery: In my case, it’s a phone bag that I bought a while ago, and it just happens that both guides I mentioned before recommend to use one like this. I just used the original three straps to attach it as I didn’t want to drill into the scooter frame. The 8Ah battery fits very tight in it. EDIT:I made a 3D model for mounting the battery bag in a much sturdier way.I completely cut off all the straps on the bag and mounted it using this model and a piece of MDF board on the inside of the bag. It’s also a much better alternative than drilling into the scooter frame to mount the bag.If you add two pieces of rubber under the mounts — it will hold really nice and tight. 12. Solder an XT60 connector to the external battery: 13. Charge/discharge the batteries to the same voltage level. If you don’t have a multimeter — then fully charge the stock battery and the external battery separately, with the original M365 charger. If you connect two batteries with different voltage — one will start charging the other one very fast and nothing good is going to happen. 14. Connect the external battery to the extension cable and hide the wires: Be sure to check again if nothing heats up. Run the scooter for a while to somewhat discharge the batteries and plug in the charger. Check everything once more. 15. Close the deck and go for a test ride. Check if nothing heats up on high loads. 16. (Optional) Create a custom firmware using this site. This should get more power in normal mode, and to get a stock-like mode in the Eco mode. The first one gives the ability to climb steep hills and accelerate better. The Eco mode should give an ability to drive like a stock, but with double the range. If you like stock — you can enable only “Remove charging mode”, to avoid charging mode turning on while you drive, in case the external battery starts charging the stock one. I hope the guide turned out clear and you like it. I’m planning to update it with some range tests on stock and custom firmware later on. Enjoy!