Use your BACK button to return to the Model page
Battery Notes
"Waiting for a miracle"
To borrow Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn's lyric, everyone involved with electric vehicles is looking forward to the day when inexpensive, high-capacity batteries become widely available: we're all waiting for a miracle. At this point in time, it looks like Lithium Ion batteries will be the next best solution, but they are not without problems of their own. High cost is their biggest drawback so far. Additionally, the base voltage is 3.7 volts per cell as opposed to 1.2 volts for lead-acid batteries, so simply swapping Lithium batteries for lead-acid is not as simple as one might suspect. Also, some lithium ion batteries become unstable if they are discharged too deeply, so protection against that must be incorporated into the system.
Lead/Acid Batteries
Common lead/acid batteries, like the ones typically used to start cars, have reached the end of their developmental life - there is almost nothing left that can be done to improve them. They are currently very reliable and predictable. They have 2 important advantages: the first is that they are quite inexpensive, and the second is that they are fully recyclable. The facilities to recycle lead/acid batteries are widely accessible, so these batteries get a fair grade environmentally.
Motorino electric scooters will integrate newer battery technologies as they become available, affordable, and reliable. But for current models, we are using high quality sealed lead/acid batteries.
As you can confirm yourself, none of the battery vendors in Winnipeg are currently offering any lithium ion batteries for vehicle use. Until one of the manufacturers begins sales in Canada and offers warranty back-up for the distributors and vendors, we are not likely to see any new battery options that we can rely upon. E-Ride Winnipeg continues to work with Greenwit Technologies (Vancouver) and Prairie Battery (Winnipeg) to stay ahead of developments with new battery technologies.
CSB Batteries for 2011
Early this year we were able to source an Extended Run Electric Vehicle battery from CSB Battery, Taiwan. They offer a 24 Amp/hour battery that is the same size and only slightly heavier than the original Motorino batteries (20 Amp/hr). The benefit of this battery is that it should extend your scooter's range by about 20%. Some of our customers are beginning their third season on the original Motorino batteries, so we know that they have been following our charging and winter care suggestions closely. When a new set of batteries are needed, please let us know and we can arrange for replacements with the CSB 24 Amp/hour batteries.
Care and Replacement of Your Scooter Batteries
Getting the maximum performance and life out of your scooter batteries is based on two simple factors. The first thing to bear in mind is that the quicker you can get the scooter onto the charger after you have driven it, the better. Take a moment to connect the charger to the battery and the charger to a wall plug immediately after using the scooter if possible. It will take up to a few hours to fully recharge the batteries, then the scooter is ready to go for the next trip. This is the most effective and simplest bit of maintenance you can do for your scooter.
The second consideration for battery life is to try to avoid very long trips that will drain the battery down until the dash indicator is showing red. This is very hard on batteries. Running the batteries down below 50% consistently will shorten the life of the battery. If you can routinely recharge the battery after use and draw it down to only 75 or 80%, you should get 2 full seasons of good performance from your original battery pack.
An ideal routine for an electric scooter would be a 20 km trip, recharging for a few hours, then a 20km return trip. This would be considered a light load for the batteries. If you routinely need to go on longer trips, consider adding a second battery pack to your scooter.
Studies often show that a typical urban commute is 10 km or less.
After 2 seasons, you may need to replace the battery pack to maintain good performance and this would cost approximately $280. Beyond battery replacement, there is very little maintenance required on an electric scooter.