Electric scooters are fun to use, incredibly affordable, and easy to maintain. And when it comes to maintaining your scooter, it is especially important to charge it from time to time.
Charging your electric scooter batteries will keep the scooter in great shape. The best part: charging this scooter is incredibly simple, so much, that you wouldn’t even need a manufacturer’s guidelines for the job.
If you’re a first-timer or amateur who is still hesitant with using their scooter, here are some tips to follow while charging your scooter:
Tips to Follow When You Charge Your Electric Scooter
1. Remove the Batteries From Your Scooter
The charging process of electric scooters tends to vary depending on the model. Some models come with in-built batteries and to charge them, you’ll have to directly plug your charge to the scooter. Alternatively, there are other models with removable batteries that you need to take out before charging.
For the latter type, take the batteries, hook your charger, and then directly plug the charge in your battery. Most modern models feature an LED indicator that turns red if your battery doesn’t have sufficient charge and is on the verge of draining out.
They also have yellow LED lights that indicate the need for an immediate charge. Finally, as with many other devices, the light will be green when your batteries are completely charged.
2. Check the Charging Device
As with the batteries, the style of the charging device will also tend to vary depending on the manufacturer and the model. You will either have a two-pronged charger that comes with a red and black wire.
The red wire needs to be attached to positive terminals, while the black ones need to be attached to the negative terminals. Both will be marked on your batteries. By paying attention to these minor aspects, you can enjoy the highest performance from your scooter in the long run.
In addition to the mentioned guidelines, do make sure that the charger’s voltage is in sync with the scooter. If you have the owner’s manual, check it for additional information. Remember, unnecessarily high voltage can affect the performance of your scooter. So, it is especially important to keep the voltage in check.
Alternatively, for the other charging process, you will have an encased charge which works the same way as any other plug-in charger.
3. Monitor the Process
Since you now know what the LED indicators mean, you can check the status of your charge from time to time. Ideally, it’ll take you around five to six hours to fully charge your scooter’s batteries.
4. Charge Frequently
Charging the batteries of your scooter isn’t the same as charging your phone. When it comes to phones, the manufacturers recommend charging them only after you’ve fully drained the battery.
Contrarily, for electric scooters, manufacturers suggest charging the batteries at every instance possible. This is especially important when you’re using a short-range scooter for long commutes.
Also, if you have a scooter that takes a long time to be fully powered up, you should get it charged at every possible instance. This will ensure the optimal performance of your device.
5. Plug Your Chargers the Right Way
When you’re trying to get your scooter charged, try directly plugging the charger in your battery even before you plug it into your respective wall outlet. After the battery completes charging, unhook your charger from the outlet, even before unhooking it from the batteries.
Also, avoid keeping your electric scooter’s batteries semi-charged for several days. This might affect your battery’s performance and stand as a hindrance to quick charging. If you’re planning to store your scooter for indefinite months, do it only after giving the battery a full charge. Also, make sure you charge the battery at least once every month.
6. Use Chargers With High Amp Rating
If you want to charge your scooter for multiple battery cycles every day, try to use a charger that comes with a higher Amp rating as compared to their conventional counterpart.
Fast rate chargers usually range between 3 Amps to 6 Amps and with their output range, they end up charging most electric scooters in as little as two to three hours.
That said, these battery packs usually have lower longevity than standard chargers. So, get them only when you actually’ need them. If you want to use your electric scooter to its highest potential, charge it after every individual use.
In case you’re looking to preserve battery life, it is best to use a slow rate charger every time you can. If you drive your bike for multiple battery cycles every day, try to use a low powered charger overnight, and a higher-powered charger throughout the day.
Additionally, do not use your motorcycle charger or any other charger for your SLA batteries. Remember, these chargers are meant for charging wet cell batteries. So, if you start using them on the SLA batteries, it might result in immediate damage to the battery due to overcharging.
Tips to Consider While Using Battery Chargers for Your Electric Scooters
In addition to the guidelines specified in the previous sections, here are some tips you should consider for the optimal performance of your scooter.
Automatic SLA battery chargers are made in a way that they cannot charge a defective SLA battery. Remember, this feature is tailored to ensure safety. So, if you attempt to charge a defective SLA battery, it will end up overheating.
Worse, it can also melt and damage your charger. A good SLA battery will automatically bounce to its original voltage level a couple of minutes after you completely discharge it.
So, if the voltage of your SLA battery doesn’t jump back to its original voltage level after a few minutes of being discharged, then it has either worn out or is fully defective.
Bottom Line
Now that you know what exactly to do for charging the batteries of your electric scooter, wait no longer and follow our tips, to charge your device right away.
A proper and timely charge will maximize the efficiency of your bike. So, if you are looking to make the most of it, it is indeed important to follow these guidelines.