Is An Electric Scooter Good For Long-Distance Ride?
Electric scooters are a tremendous environment-friendly innovation, and we are already seeing their popularity growing worldwide. As we are experiencing the direct threat of climate change, we are trying to cut down our dependence on fossil fuels and move to clean energy sources. But one thing to remember is that we can only call an electric scooter green if the electricity is generated from a clean energy source.
It’s fascinating to see electric scooters gaining popularity, and we can also notice their innovative designs worldwide to ensure safety and better comfort for the user. But they are still yet to achieve the user experience we get from regular scooters.
One most common doubt is that are these electric scooters suitable for long-distance traveling? In this article, we will discuss this so that you can be well aware before buying an electric scooter. Let’s start with your main question.
Is an electric scooter good for long-distance travel?
If you are traveling up to 100 km, you can find many electric scooters in the market around that range. But if you want to travel for longer, the options become limited and expensive. Additionally, if your state doesn’t have enough charging stations for electric scooters, it may not be a great idea to use your electric scooter for long distances. If your scooter has a range of 100km, you can safely ride up to 80 km, which also depends on many factors.
Also, you must consider the total up and down distance if you are coming back home.
Next, I’ll explain why electric scooters are not the best option to travel for long distances, especially if you are traveling more than 100 km.
Why is an electric scooter not the best for long-distance?
For short-distance commuting, electric scooters are incredible options. But when it comes to traveling for a long-distance, they are not the best yet. Also, it depends on states to states, countries to countries, as infrastructure is an essential factor here.
We will see all those reasons why I don’t consider electric scooters a good option for long-distance travel yet. But I am sure I have to update this post within a few years.
1. Charging station
If you are traveling long distances, the availability of charging stations should be a significant consideration on the way. But unfortunately, we don’t have such advanced infrastructure for electric scooters everywhere.
We are seeing rapid development of the e-scooter docks in the city area where you can charge your electric scooter. But globally, we see very few countries working on developing such infrastructure.
But can we charge electric scooters at a public EV charging station?
Generally, you can’t directly. But you may have to carry your charger and an adapter to plug it. And next, you have to check the input power compatibility of your charger with the charging station’s operating output power.
If your charger is not compatible, then tough luck! Please don’t take the risk of charging anyway.
2. cost
If you consider buying the e-scooters that give you a range of 150-200km and above, you have to pay a lot. In some developing countries, the price can be too high if manufacturers import most of the electric scooter components.
But if the manufacturing unit and supply chain is entirely within the country, the cost can be bearable.
As of now, it is not feasible for many countries.
3. No backups like ebike
You have a backup option in an electric bike if the battery charge drains to zero. You can always use pedaling to achieve the rest of the path.
But for an electric scooter, you don’t have that flexibility. Yes, you can use it as a kick scooter, but for how long?
That is why I don’t recommend an electric scooter for a long distance if it is above 100 km.
4. Range
Most electric scooters range up to 100 km in the market, and you can comfortably plan your ride up to 70-80 kilometers. But if it is a too-long journey, you have to opt for some selective models available in the market.
5. Charging time
Most electric scooters take 5-6 hours to charge fully. If you drain the entire battery before reaching out to the next charging dock/ station, you have to take a long break to charge your battery, and that’s why you must consider the charging time beforehand.
But nowadays, some electric scooters have fast charging functionalities. If you think it’s a favorable option, you can definitely consider having one with fast charging functionality.
6. Design
Design is a huge factor to consider for an electric scooter before using it for long-distance traveling. Most of the models are designed exactly like kick scooters. These models are definitely portable, lightweight, and easy to use, but they are not suitable for long-distance traveling. For long-distance, you need comfort. And these scooters are not designed to consider the comfort factor.
But the good thing is there are plenty of models adopting the design of traditional scooters. These scooters are relatively better designed to make your long journey comfortable.
In some countries, where kick scooters are not allowed, manufacturers only focus on traditional designs to make their electric scooters compatible with the laws.
7. Hilly Terrain
If you live in the mountains, you can not use your electric scooter for too long if the roads have a steep slope. Generally, you need high motor power to run your electric scooter on uphill terrain. Now let’s say your e-scooter has a range of 100km, then it can become 40km if the slope is too steep.
An electric scooter may not be the best option if you live in the mountains and plan to go for a long ride of more than 100km.
Electric scooter with the longest range
Currently, an Indian company Mankame is working on an electric motorbike that will have a range of 500 kilometers. Although they don’t call it an electric scooter, I thought to introduce it to you all so that we can have an idea of how the world is moving towards clean innovations more and more.
Best electric scooter around the range of 100km
EMove Cruiser 100 km
Emove Cruiser is one of the most popular electric scooters, which offers a range of 100km. The best part is that this scooter has a hill climb angle of 20 degrees.
But one drawback is that it takes 9-12 hours for complete charging. It makes sense as it has a battery of 52V 30 AH, which makes this electric scooter capable of having a long range of 100km. For more details, you can visit their website.
Dualtron 3 120 km
This scooter is also very popular, but this is relatively costlier than the emove cruiser. We are not sharing the exact price details as they may vary from time to time.
First of all, this electric scooter has a range of up to 120km, which is incredible considering how portable it is. Also, it allows you fast charging, which makes it possible to charge your battery fully within 4.5 hours.
It has a hill-climbing angle of 25 degrees, making your mountainous journey easier.
Range determining factors
If you consider an electric scooter for long-distance travel, you must carefully check the max range and review the range determining factors.
Below, I am going to point out those three main factors.
- Battery: Battery capacity is an essential factor. Generally, the brands mention the battery voltage and amp-hours as battery specifications. You can multiply the voltage by amp-hours to get watt-hours. By that, you can have an idea of the battery’s energy capacity well.
- Weight: If the total weight of the scooter (scooter+rider) is too heavy, it can decrease the range.
- Speed: If your average speed is low, you can travel more distance. If you are riding fast, you have to use more motor power to adjust to the traffic and road.
Why might the electric scooter range be lower in practice?
You’ll always see brands mention that you get a range up to a specific distance. And they calculate that range by assuming many parameters.
But in reality, those parameters can be different for different users depending on the road condition, weight, slope angle of the road, air friction, climate (rain and snow), etc.
And also, as you use your electric scooter more and more, your battery life will impact, making the range lower than expected.
conclusion
As we can see for so many factors, electric scooters are not the best option for long-distance travel if you consider traveling more than 100km. Generally, electric bikes can be a better option if you are habituated to pedaling bikes.
Also, it will reduce so many other risk factors in the mid-way as you’ll always have a backup plan. Or, if you are comfortable enough, you can only use your battery power when you are tired. Thank you for reading this article with me. I hope to see you soon. Many more articles to come!
