Electric Scooter – Think Twice Before Buying One

 Electric scooters are here for some time. They are known for their economy, low maintenance, absence of pollution etc. In spite of all the advantages they claim, they have not become popular yet. The reasons for their failure to make an impact on the market are many. The main reason being the inadequacy of the technology of the battery they are powered with.

Difference Between Electric Scooters and Conventional Scooters

What is the difference between an electric scooter and a conventional scooter? It is very simple- electric scooters are driven by electric motors instead of the internal combustion engines that drive conventional type scooters. Petrol is the fuel in these internal combustion engines .On the other hand electric scooters do not require any fuel at all. The electric motors in them work on electrical energy stored in the battery pack that is an integral part of them. This battery pack is not the same as the battery attached to conventional scooters, where they are not intended to drive the vehicle.

The capacity of the battery pack in an electric scooter is very high compared to the battery of the conventional scooter. Most of them have 48 Volt battery packs (four numbers of 12 Volt storage batteries connected in series). The capacity of the battery pack may vary generally from 20AH (AH stands for ampere hours) to 40 AH depending on the capacity of the motor. The capacity of the motor varies from 250 Watts to 500 Watts for most of the electric scooters available in the market now. Of these250 Watts ones are mainly seen as higher capacity ones cost very high.

An electric scooter is usually provided with maintenance-free, sealed lead-acid type battery. So there is no need to add distilled water to it periodically. A battery charger will be provided and the battery has to be charged using it. For charging the battery, the charger has to be plugged into an electrical outlet and to the battery. It requires six to eight hours for the battery to get fully charged. After a full charge the vehicle can run for 50 to 70 kilo meters. After that, it has to be charged again for 6 to 8 hours. Manufacturers of electric scooters claim that it takes only one unit (i.e., one kilo watt-hour) of electricity for fully charging the battery once. So the running cost is very small compared to that of conventional scooters. Excited and eager to buy one? But read on before rushing to a dealer to buy an electric scooter as there are many other factors needing consideration.

The advantages of electric scooters are as below:

• Electric scooters are highly economical compared to their petrol counter parts.
• Electric scooters are totally pollution-free.
• Electric scooters with motor capacity not more than 250 Watts need not be registered.
• Electric scooters up to 250 W need not be insured and no road tax need be paid.
• For riding electric scooters up to 250 W one need not have a driving license and wearing a helmet is not mandatory.

The limitations of electric scooters currently available in the market are as below:

• Electric scooters are not powerful enough.
• They take 6 to 8 hrs. for fully charging the battery while filling petrol in a conventional scooter takes some one or two minutes.
• Charging stations for electric scooters are very few. You may not find one in your town. So one will always be under tension of the battery running out and he getting stranded.
• The battery pack has to be replaced once every two years or so which costs considerably.
• Electric scooters cover only 70 KM at the maximum after a full charge of the battery while a conventional scooter can cover some 300KM or more with full tank fuel.
• Level roads only are suitable for electric scooters as they are unable to manage steep ascents.
• Electric scooters cannot attain high speeds. A 250W scooter can attain a maximum speed of just 25 KMpH while conventional scooters can go up to 80 or 100KMpH.
• In spite of all these limitations electric scooters are very costly, price being not much less than that of conventional scooters.

From the following data you will get an idea of how the power of an electric scooter differs from that of a conventional scooter:

An ordinary electric scooter has a power of 250 W

The power of a conventional type of scooter somewhere near 7 HP
7HP comes to 5250 W. So you can see that a conventional type scooter is 21 times more powerful than an electric scooter.

In India an electric scooter costs about 32,000 Rupees while a conventional type scooter is available for somewhere near 43,000 Rupees. So one may think why he should buy an electric scooter which is a poor performer though it costs so much.

Taking a Decision about Buying an Electric Scooter

It may be concluded that electric scooters are suitable for those who have to travel only some 10 kilo meters daily. It can be considered to be suitable for travelling in a city or town with heavy traffic where vehicles can goes at a slow pace only. Level roads with no steep ascents only are suitable for electric scooters. So, electric scooters can be considered only for such limited use. They may come into the mainstream when their technology and performance improve and are up to the mark.

The discussion above is based on the electric scooters available in India. Hope you have understood the necessity of considering the different aspects discussed above, before deciding to buy an electric scooter.