Electric scooters are generally low-maintenance and easy to care for. That’s why many personal mobility riders and commuters choose to buy and ride electric scooters. If you are also thinking of buying your own electric scooter, then learn how to maintain your electric scooter before committing to riding one. After all, electric scooter care is necessary and important to prolong your e-scooter’s life and avoid unnecessary electric scooter maintenance costs. With this, here’s a quick guide on how to care for your electric scooter properly.
How to care for your electric scooter properly
Always check for damages
Before you ride an electric scooter and after you ride it, make it a habit to check your electric scooter components. Here are just some of the things that you should be checking:
- Loose wires
- Tyre damage
- Tyre pressure
- Damage on controls
- Damage on display
- Damage on the deck
- Battery charge
If you have time, make sure to test its acceleration and brakes, too, before hitting the road. Making sure that your electric scooter is in good condition ensures that it’s safe to use. This will also prevent you from getting into accidents on the road due to e-scooter failure. Although that is unlikely to happen, there’s no harm in keeping yourself safe when it comes to riding any type of vehicle or mobility device.
Ride with care
Improper handling or riding can cause early wear and tear on your tyres and damages on your e-scooter. To keep you safe on the road and avoid damaging your electric scooter, here are a few safety reminders that you should follow:
-
- Avoid climbing very steep inclines. Unless your electric scooter is for off-roading, don’t push your e-scooter to the limit by climbing steep hills. Know the incline angle that your electric scooter can take, and avoid inclines that are steeper than your e-scooter’s capacity.
- Don’t accelerate, then brake sharply. Aside from falling out of balance when you do this, speeding up and stopping abruptly can quickly wear down your tyres, especially if you have pneumatic tyres. Always ride at a safe speed when in public and on private property.
- Don’t ride commuter scooters off-road. Off-road electric scooters use tyres specific for off-roading. However, most commuter electric scooters are only made to withstand flat terrains and slight bumps on the road. Bringing your commuter e-scooter to rocky or bumpy areas could puncture or damage your tyres.
Most of these tips are meant to care for your electric scooter tyres. After all, these will be the most affected part of your e-scooter while riding. So, keep the following tips in mind, and ride safely and responsibly always.
Clean it correctly
Cleaning an electric scooter is not like cleaning a car where you can pour a bucket of water all over it. In fact, doing so can damage your electric scooter, especially if it’s not waterproof or water-resistant. To clean your e-scooter properly, here are some tips on how to clean electric scooters.
- Prepare your supplies. Have a sponge, soapy water, a bucket of clean water, and clean towels when cleaning your e-scooter. Using an electric scooter lubricant is also recommended to protect your electric scooter’s coating.
- Turn off your electric scooter. Make sure to turn off your e-scooter before cleaning it. Unplug it from the socket if it’s charging and clever all open electrical areas on your e-scooter to prevent them from getting wet.
- Clean it with a sponge. Dip your sponge in the soapy water and squeeze it tightly to remove excess water. Then, start by scrubbing down all the major components of your e-scooter, avoiding all electrical areas.
- Wipe or wash off the soap. Using the sponge or a clean towel, rinse off the soap on your electric scooter. Be quick to rinse it off so that the soap doesn’t leave marks on your e-scooter.
With these simple steps, you can keep your electric scooter clean from dirt and dust and prevent them from accumulating on important parts of your e-scooter such as the tyres.
Store it properly
After using your electric scooter, one way to maintain its good condition is to store it properly. Here are some simple tips that you can do to keep it in good condition when it’s not in use.
- Clean before you store. Always clean your electric scooter before storing it. This way, dirt and dust don’t build up on the e-scooter and affect its components.
- Charge your e-scooter before storing it. Don’t leave your e-scooter drained, especially if you will be storing it for a long period. Draining your battery and keeping it that way can negatively affect your e-scooter battery’s capacity and performance.
- Keep it inside a bag or box. Add extra protection to your e-scooter by placing it inside an e-scooter bag or box. Covering it with a huge cloth will also do. This will protect it from dust and moisture, which could damage your electric scooter.
- Don’t store it inside an area with extreme temperatures. You want to keep your components away from moisture and dust so avoid storing your e-scooter in extremely humid or hot temperatures.
Take that extra step to store your electric scooter properly to keep it in top condition.
Remember and practice how to care for your e-scooter
After reading these tips and guidelines on how to look after electric scooters, you might be wondering: are electric scooters worth it? Of course! Electric scooters are not frail devices. Most models are actually very sturdy and could last you years. However, taking care of your electric scooter will get the most out of your electric scooter’s lifespan. Besides, the tips above are very basic and simple. You just need to take the time to care for them and be consistent in doing so.