How Does An Electric Scooter Work?

Electric scooters are very simple to ride and maintain, and that's why they are so useful and fun. While they are a modern piece of transportation technology, they are still not very complex in the way they work compared to most vehicles.

This guide provides a very simple overview of how electric scooters work.

How do electric scooters work?

When the rider uses the throttle, electric signals go from the throttle through wires to the controller, which instructs the battery to release electric energy to one or two motors in the wheels. The motor transforms that energy into a movement of the wheels, and the scooter moves forward.

If you want to be confident that you will be able to handle anything that happens to your scooter, or if you don't want to pay for an expert anytime some small thing goes wrong, or if you're just simply curious, you can learn a lot about how scooters work in just a few minutes.

Electric scooter components

For the most part, electric scooters are only made up of several major components.

The battery is the heart of every electric scooter. Its voltage, charge, and energy storage capacity will be the dominant factor in determining the most important features of the scooter, which are the overall performance, and the maximum distance it can go on a single charge.

The motor is of equal importance to the battery. Its power and quality will determine a lot about the scooter's performances, primarily its speed, its torque, its ability to climb hills, and its range to a lesser extent.

The motor and the battery are connected through electric wires, all controlled by the screen and throttle on the handlebar. Their performance is managed by the rider through the controller component.

The rider issues commands on the screen, and through the throttle and brake levers or buttons. The screen is usually an LED screen right in the center of the handlebar, or a small circular screen on the right handlebar, and the throttle control is on the right. Some handlebars also have a brake lever on the left handle.

Some older scooter models have their motors placed in the deck and use chains and gears to turn the wheels. Most of the modern scooters are gearless and have the motors built right into the wheels. These are called hub motors.

It's quite common for the more powerful scooters to actually have two motors, one in each wheel.

The wheels themselves are an obvious part of the scooter. They come in two basic types – air-filled and solid. Some scooters will also have shock absorbers for a more comfortable ride. We will go into more detail about wheels later.

Either one or both wheels can have brakes. Brakes can be electronic, mechanical (with a disc or hydraulic), or activated by pressing the foot against the rear fender.

All of these components are tightly integrated into a solid frame, usually made up of industrial grade aluminum alloy, or sometimes of carbon fiber. The frame can be visually divided into the stem, which is the front pipe-like part, and the deck, which is the surface on which the rider stands.

Other than plastic and silicone, not many other materials are used in building the scooter.

We are an Electric Scooter supplier, please feel free to contact us if you need them!