How to Test E-Scooter Batteries

How to Test E-Scooter Batteries

How to Diagnose Battery Capacity

We haven’t done a tutorial in a while and we thought it appropriate to address the most pressing topic in the e-scooter and e-bike world i.e. Li ion batteries! In Part 1 of our battery series, we try to answer many of your most pressing concerns in battery maintenance.

Many people wonder: what is done when you send your e-scooter to the workshop to find out why you are not getting enough range? If battery range is the concern, we will first look at a few things in order of importance:

  1. Tire Pressure – Low tire pressure can reduce your e-scooter range by as much as 50%. A properly inflated tire can Ensure that your e-scooter can last the full specified distance. If tire pressure is ok, we move on to the next checklist point.
  2. Terrain – Check if your terrain is full of upslopes and down slopes. That typically compromises the range of the escooter by as much as 30%. If your terrain is mostly flat, then we move on to the next point on the checklist.
  3. Weight of rider – We hate to say it but plus sized riders cannot expect to get close to the specified range of their escooter. It takes a lot more power to push a heavier load and this extra power needed means less distance. Consider the typical rider weight of 75-85kg, the average battery can get you 3.36km per Ampere Hour. For a 100kg rider, that mileage will reduce to 2.2km per Ampere Hour.
  4. Ambient Temperature – Heat is the nemesis of all mechanical beings. Heat causes wear and tear, breakdowns, and shutdowns of batteries. Most batteries can operate OPTIMALLY at 40 deg C and below. But when conditions exceed 60 deg C, things start to degrade. Batteries will either shutdown or work very inefficiently. So on a hot day and if you are riding your e-scooter Long distance, do take note of your battery temperature and how it will affect your journey.
  5. Battery – When you have exhausted all the possibilities above, the only thing left to check is your e-scooter battery. There are 2 ways to diagnose: the first is to physically ride the e-scooter after a full battery charge. Riding it in normal operating conditions is the most accurate way to gauge a battery performance but it’s also the most tedious. The 2nd and simpler way is to perform a bench test simulating normal operating conditions or stress test conditions. Watch the video below on how a bench test is conducted!

To measure the actual capacity of your battery, you can head down to Falcon PEV for your battery tests.

Please see our next article on how to revive and repair e-scooter batteries.

Post A Comment