3 tips before buying an electric scooter.
Electric scooters in all colors and shapes are booming. The offer is large, as are the price differences.
So that you don’t regret your purchase: Three tips if you want to buy an electric scooter.
How easy are tire changes and maintenance at Elektroller?
Electric scooters are almost maintenance-free.
At some point, however, their tires and brakes are also due for replacement.
And then the wheat is separated from the chaff when it comes to the rear wheel: inexpensive wheel hub motors in particular are not easy to remove and a wheel change can quickly take hours and cost hundreds of francs.
Mid-mounted motors or wheel hub motors with single-sided suspension are the cheaper choice in the long term.
Are good batteries installed?
This point is a bit trickier to check: Within the same battery technology, there are massive differences in quality, which mainly affect the service life.
A conversation with the dealer helps here: Is the battery of the electric scooter made of cells from a renowned manufacturer (for example, Samsung, LG), or is it a cheap no-name product?
Good batteries last a scooter’s life with simple care. Cheap batteries may only be one to two years and then you have to buy a new one.
Is the electric scooter powerful enough?
The calculation is simple: Weaker motor = smaller battery needed = lower price.
Since most mass-market electric scooters are designed for cities with low gradients, many only have continuous power in the range of 3-4 kilowatts.
On the lakeside promenade, that’s enough.
At the latest on the drive up the local mountain, however, the fun is over and the chic Sprinter becomes an overheated creep.
Therefore, it is essential to take a test drive on a route that corresponds to your own driving profile.
These were the three tips if you want to buy an electric scooter.
Bonus: Recommendation for the annoying numbers!
Brochures and manufacturer information are patient, so you should always check two points:
- Motor power: When it comes to output in kilowatts (kW), a distinction is made between continuous power (nominal) and maximum peak power (peak). Which of these values is stated in the advertisement?
- Range per charge: The effective range varies greatly depending on weight, speed and driving style. The key question is: Under what conditions did this information come about? Does this use case coincide with my driving behavior? Reputable providers use standardized measurement cycles such as WMTC to be able to provide a comparable information.
In any case, it is advisable to go to the electric vehicle dealer to convince yourself of the investment on site with questions, touching and test driving.
Until then: Have a good trip!
