A Comprehensive Guide to E-Scooter Battery
The battery stands as a vital component of an electric scooter, playing a key role in defining both its range and speed. Understanding the essentials of batteries is crucial for selecting a ride that truly delivers value for your investment.
The e-scooter battery acts like the "fuel tank" for your electric scooter. It holds the energy needed for the DC motor, lights, controller, and other gadgets. In this handy guide, you'll discover all the essential info about electric scooter batteries, such as the different types, capacity ratings, tips for extending battery life, and how to use and store them correctly.
Table of Contents
Types of E-Scooter Batteries
Lithium Ion
Lithium-ion batteries exhibit remarkable energy density, which refers to the quantity of energy they can store relative to their physical weight. Additionally, they possess outstanding longevity, allowing them to undergo numerous discharge and recharge cycles while still retaining their storage capacity.
Lithium-ion batteries are the most used because their high energy density makes them ideal for maintaining the portability of electric scooters. Most foldable models use them. Moreover, they have the longest lifespan among the current generation of (electric vehicle) EV batteries.
Lithium Manganese
Luckily, a lot of top-notch electric scooters are equipped with INR battery chemistry, which is known for being super safe. This type of battery offers great capacity and can deliver a strong output current. Thanks to the manganese, the battery's internal resistance is reduced, enabling it to provide high current without overheating. This significantly lowers the risk of thermal runaway and fire.
Lead-acid
Lead-acid batteries represent one of the oldest battery technologies and are frequently used in automobiles and certain larger electric vehicles, such as golf carts. They are also utilized in some electric scooters, particularly budget-friendly models designed for children, like those produced by Razor.
While lead-acid batteries are cost-effective, they are hindered by their low energy density, resulting in a heavier weight relative to the energy they can store. In contrast, lithium-ion batteries offer approximately ten times the energy density of lead-acid batteries.
Voltage Sag
All batteries experience a phenomenon known as voltage sag.
This voltage sag arises from various factors, including the chemistry of lithium-ion cells, temperature fluctuations, and electrical resistance. It consistently leads to a non-linear response in battery voltage.
When a load is first applied to the battery, there is an immediate drop in voltage. This can result in a misleading assessment of the battery's capacity, making it seem as though you have lost 10% or more of your capacity at once if you are monitoring the voltage directly.
However, once the load is removed, the battery voltage will rebound to its actual level.
Voltage sag can also be observed during prolonged discharges, such as on extended rides. The lithium chemistry within the battery requires time to adjust to the discharge rate, which can cause the voltage to decline more sharply towards the end of a long journey.
If the e-scooter battery is allowed to rest, it will eventually return to its accurate voltage level.
Capacity Ratings of an Electric Scooter Battery
The capacity of an e-scooter battery is measured in watt hours (Wh), which indicates the amount of energy it can store. This measurement is straightforward: for instance, a battery rated at 1 Wh can deliver one watt of power for one hour.
A higher energy capacity results in increased watt hours, leading to a longer range for the electric scooter, assuming the motor size remains constant. Typically, an average scooter has a capacity of approximately 250 Wh, allowing it to cover around 10 miles at a speed of 15 miles per hour. High-performance scooters can boast capacities that reach several thousand watt hours, enabling them to travel distances of up to 60 miles.
E-Scooter Battery Brands
The battery packs of e-scooters are powered by individual Li-ion cells produced by a select few globally recognized manufacturers. The top-tier cells come from industry giants like LG, Samsung, Panasonic, and Sanyo. You'll typically find these premium cells exclusively in the battery packs of high-end scooters.
Quality from well-known brands is guaranteed, make sure you buy your scooter from a reputable manufacturer that uses quality parts and implements good quality control (QC) measures.As a leading distribution website, Buymoreway.com provides many well-known brands of 2-wheel electric scooters. So what are some trustworthy brands?
Trustworthy Electric Scooter brands & Product Recommendations
1. Kukirin G2 Master Electric Scooter
The G2 Master's twin 1000W motors deliver power and top-notch control, which is perfect for off-road adventures. It can be fully charged in 10-11 hours with waterproof and spring-loaded design. This fast e-scooter has a top speed of 60KM/H. It seamlessly switch between single and dual motor modes,and 3 speed modes to customize your ride to the terrain.
2. KuKirin G4 Max Electric Scooter
Equipped with super powerful 3200W dual motors and 35.2Ah extra large battery, G4 Max can reach up to 95 KM. The fastest speed can reach 86 moh, allowing you to experience the excitement of riding. What's more, the 12-inch off-road wheels help you to conquer any terrains.
D99's engine has been newly upgraded and its power has been further enhanced. The powerful 3000W powerful dual motors assist the riding of the e-scooter. 13-inch urban off-road tires perfectly fit the road surface, which can easily handle various terrains. The 18650 high capacity e-scooter OOTD baattery ensures a long range of 120km.
4. KUGOO G5
Equipped with a powerful 500W brushless motor and 48v electric scooter battery, the KUGOO G5 can reach up to 80 km. You can choose 3 different speeds and ride freely in the city. The 8.7-inch wide platform provides more standing room for your feet and allows you to place your backpack on it. This also makes your ride more comfortable.
5. JOYOR S5 ABE
Patented rubber suspension of this e-scooter provides you with excellent shock absorption for a smoother ride. With 10-inch 3 wide off-road tires, the grip area is larger, safer, and the passing comfort is better. The 48v electric scooter battery and 600W motor ensures you a range of 45km. The front and rear hydraulic brakes will keep you safe on the road.
Battery Management System
While Li-ion 18650 cells offer significant advantages, they are less tolerant than other battery technologies and can pose explosion risks if mishandled. Consequently, these cells are typically integrated into battery packs equipped with a battery management system (BMS).
The BMS is an electronic device responsible for overseeing the battery pack's performance and regulating both charging and discharging processes. Li-ion batteries function optimally within a voltage range of approximately 2.5 to 4.0 V. Exceeding this range through overcharging or complete discharge can diminish battery lifespan or lead to hazardous thermal runaway situations. The BMS is designed to prevent overcharging, and many systems also disconnect power before the battery reaches a full discharge to extend its longevity. Nevertheless, many users tend to treat their batteries with care, avoiding complete discharges and utilizing specialized chargers to precisely manage the charging rate and capacity.
Advanced battery management systems may also include temperature monitoring features, activating a shutdown if the battery pack overheats.
C-rate
When researching battery charging, you will likely come across the term C-rate. This metric indicates the speed at which a battery is charged or discharged. For instance, a C-rate of 1C signifies that the battery can be fully charged in one hour, while a 2C rate indicates a full charge in 0.5 hours, and a 0.5C rate means it would take two hours to reach a full charge. If you were to charge a 100 A·h battery with a current of 100 A, it would take one hour to complete the charging process, resulting in a C-rate of 1C.
Battery Longevity
A standard lithium-ion battery typically endures between 300 to 500 charge and discharge cycles before experiencing a reduction in capacity. For an average electric scooter, this translates to approximately 3,000 to 10,000 miles of usage. It is important to note that a "reduction in capacity" does not equate to a complete loss of functionality; rather, it indicates a significant decline of about 10 to 20% that will progressively worsen over time.
Contemporary battery management systems are designed to enhance battery longevity, so there is no need for excessive caution in handling them.
Nonetheless, if you aim to maximize the lifespan of your battery beyond 500 cycles, there are several strategies you can implement to achieve this. These include:
Don't store the scooter fully charged or plugged into the charger for an extended period of time.
Don't store the electric scooter after completely discharging it. Lithium-ion batteries experience reduced performance at voltages below 2.5 V. Most manufacturers recommend storing the scooter at 50% charge and periodically charging it to this level if stored for long periods of time.
Don't operate the scooter battery in temperatures below 32 F° or above 113 F°.
Charge the scooter at a lower C-rate, i.e. at a lower rate relative to the battery's maximum capacity to maintain/extend battery life. Charging at a C rate below 1 is optimal. Some more advanced or high-speed chargers allow you to control this.
Summary
Electric battery for scooter is so important for your e-scooter. After reading this comprehensive guide,you may gain a lot of knowledge about e-scooter battery. I wish it help you to decide your own e-scooter!
If you want to learn more about e-bike and e-scooter, you can click here!
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