How Fast Do Electric Scooters Go?

Micro mobility has been a part of our world for several years now. Previously, you might have needed a car just to visit the gym, the grocery store, or the park, and then you had to find a parking spot, which is never fun. But these days, an electric scooter makes getting around much easier. But how fast does this modern mode of transport actually go?

Most electric scooters offer a max speed of ~20mph/32kph, but a handful can go much faster. The fastest scooter available today can reach 100mph/160kph. You can upgrade individual components like the motor or controller to get more speed, and riding faster requires slightly different techniques.

If you’re looking to hit higher speeds on your scooter, there are a few ways to proceed. Let’s take a look at which aspects of a scooter affect its speed and how you can boost the speed on yours, and also how to handle all the speed properly to avoid any accidents.

Which Factors Affect the Speed of an Electric Scooter?

There are several factors that impact the speed of an electric scooter, such as its weight, the battery size, and the tires. We’ll go through each to give you an idea of the role they play.

Weight

When we talk about weight, there are two types of weight that affect speed. The first one is the weight of the electric scooter, and the other is that of the rider. If both factors lean toward the heavier side, the motor will require more power to accelerate.

Battery Size

The batteries in every electric scooter are available in packs, and these packs are made up of battery cells. The cells used in packs are usually made of lithium-ion, which places them at a precise size of (18mm x 65mm).

These battery cells generate power of only 3V, but they can produce a lot of power when packed together in a well-organized structure. The more batteries you have, the longer you’ll be able to maintain a high speed.

Tires

When we talk about tires, bigger tires are better; they contain higher momentum, and can roll smoothly by reducing friction.

The two types of tires are solid and pneumatic tires. Solid tires require no maintenance, since they don’t get flats. At the same time, pneumatic tires are better performing and longer-lasting. 

Is the Type of Terrain a Factor in the Speed of My Electric Scooter?

If you spend most of your time riding in the streets of a city, then terrain wouldn’t have a big impact on your speed.

However, electronic scooters don’t perform as well on dirt tracks since they may sink further into the ground, and rocks on the road will naturally limit the speed. The motor needs to work harder to obtain high speed on these surfaces.

Hills will also slow down an electronic scooter, especially if the motor is relatively small. If you live in a very flat area , you won’t face this issue much.

If you like traveling off-road, choose a model designed to drive in different terrain. The scooter with a powerful battery and motor will do it for you.

How Can I Make My Electric Scooter Faster?

There are three methods by which you can drive faster on your electronic scooter:

Risk-Free Methods

These methods are safe to get maximum speed from your scooter because they don’t require interfering with its internal systems. They also don’t cause any risk of defects and will not void your warranty.    

Nonetheless, they will remove some of the barriers preventing your scooter from reaching the maximum advertised speed. If you need a speed higher than usual, then you have to play with some of the scooter’s internals and dig a bit deeper.

Before you proceed with these methods, make sure you get your desired maximum speed without messing with the mechanical parts of your scooter.

Charge Your Battery to 100%

Your speed highly depends on your battery, and the power of the battery will be the essential factor. The battery level plays a key role as well. The battery’s voltage goes down when the charge drops, and the drop in voltages results in the demise of performance.

Many scooters enter power saving mode when the battery is getting close to empty. This will limit the performance and maximum speed of your scooter.

There might be a decrease in top speed for a few scooters even if the battery level drops below 90%. People have reported this inconvenience when their batteries are near empty, or sometimes even half full.

When your battery is charged to the fullest, your scooter will provide its maximum speed.

Switch Off the Lights and Other Components That Drain the Battery

The maximum speed will suffer if the lights are turned on. The same applies to cars, but they can get away with it because of larger batteries.

Warning alert! Don’t turn off the lights in places where there is little or no light, or at night, as your safety is a primary concern.

For maximum speed, you can turn off lights in daylight or in a place where good light sources are provided.

Clean the Tires

Sometimes, you feel a decrease in speed out of nowhere. Check your tires; there may be something stuck on them, such as chewing gum. This can certainly slow you down.

Most of the time, you will hear a noise or feel a change, but regularly checking the tires can prevent any mishap in speed.

Modifying Methods

Suppose you do commit to modifying your scooter in order to speed it up. Beware of the consequences ahead. The sole purpose of modifying speed is to make your scooter faster; for that, you need to remove the speed limiters.

If you want to proceed further, you have to do some additional battery optimizations to upgrade to a more robust battery, or to add an extra battery, or even both. All of these steps may risk your warranty and damage your scooter.

Upgrading the Controller if It Limits the Speed

You can always upgrade your controller to increase the speed. This may be the right move if your motor supports high voltage, but the controller doesn’t.

You can purchase an aftermarket controller and install it in place of the original or install it along with the original outside the frame by connecting it to the switch.

Adding an Extra Battery

Most scooters don’t support an extra battery, so installing a battery can be a complicated process. You must know what you’re doing; any mistake can lead to some unfortunate consequences.

It would be best if you had a frame to add the extra battery and then connect that battery to the original battery in series. This will increase the voltage output and eventually boost the speed of the scooter.

Upgrading the Battery

The motor power primarily sets the maximum speed, and changing the motor ultimately doesn’t make sense.

The battery voltage and current directly increase performance but check your motor, controller, and circuitry before upgrading your battery. If they support high charge and voltage, you can proceed with the upgrade.

Advanced Methods

Finally, there are other mechanical methods to get a little more power out of your scooter. They also include the opening of your internals, so they should be considered as the last option.

Cleaning the Motor

This option is not for amateurs, because you may damage the mechanics of the scooter and void the warranty. If any dirt, dust, or grease sticks to tires, it reduces the smoothness. It’s best to visit a mechanic or the manufacturer because they can diagnose and clean your scooter better.

Rewinding the Motor

This is a complicated mechanical procedure that you should only consider if your scooter is already damaged or you’re very enthusiastic about speed.

Rewinding the motor also requires a lot of expensive equipment, but it will increase the speed of your scooter.

Changing the Sprockets (Only in Chain Drive Scooters)

This method is only applicable to chain drive scooters. You can make your scooter faster by installing bigger sprockets.

You can put the bigger sprockets on the front, followed by the original sprocket on the back; this will improve the speed of your scooter.

The setbacks of this method are that you will lose your scooter’s warranty, and it is a complicated procedure to perform, so you need an expert to guide you.

Can Electric Scooters Be Faster Than E-bikes?

Yes, depending on modifications and the design, electric scooters can be faster than some E-bikes. Here are the two electric scooters that challenge electric bikes’ speed.

Turbowheel Lightning+

The Turbowheel Lightning+ is built upon its previous version of Turbowheel Lightening. It comes with more power, including two 1,200-watt motors combined to produce 2,400 watts and the peak power of 3,600 watts. It can go up to 45 miles per hour.

The dual motor provides a marvelous acceleration rate, climb angle for terrains, and a weight limit of 330 pounds. These features make the scooter versatile and perfect for a premium experience.

However, a scooter with such speed needs a quality braking system, and it provides dual hydraulics zoom disc brakes, one of the best options in the business. This scooter never lacks in the range as well; the battery of LG 18650 will provide a range of 40 miles on a single charge.

Dualtron 2

You won’t be surprised to see the Dualtron 2 scooter on the list of super-fast scooters. The Dualtron 2 can reach maximum speeds of 40 miles per hour thanks to the dual hub BLDC motors with a combined peak power of 1,800 watts. These scooters offer high-quality, premium design and top-notch finishing.

A few of the great features include a 6063-T6 aluminum alloy frame, dual disk electric brakes, and dual high-impact PU integrated suspension. It weighs only 61 pounds and can support an optional seat, which is again impressive.

It can even climb at an angle of 25 degrees with the IP54 water protection standard.

What Is the Top Speed of an Electric Scooter?

The top speed depends on the modifications, some have topped out in 60-65 miles per hour range, and some scooters topped out at 100mph. Below are the two top-speed electric scooters.

Dualtron X

Dualtron X is the fastest kick scooter ever made, with a manifested top speed. The advertised top speed is 62 miles per hour. If you remove the speed limits, it can hit speeds of up to 75 miles per hour.

The speed of 75 miles per hour is the highest any kick scooter can go. The Dualtron X is undoubtedly known for its performance.

The Dualtron X is almost a legend among electric scooters. Its dual-motor can supply a peak power of almost 7,000 watts. This model has a price tag of around $6,000. It is on the list of most expensive scooters, but it is undoubtedly worth it for such speed.

It offers dual suspension, is equipped to handle off-road riding, and ranges in the hundreds of kilometers. All this makes it the ultimate scooter choice. Some complain about its price, but the actual scooter fan may consider it justified.

Rion2 RE90

This is the fastest electric scooter on paper. It offers a speed limit of 80 miles per hour. By removing the speed limit, you can increase the speed further to 100 miles per hour. Besides speed, it has the most powerful motor. The price of Roin2 RE90 is over $7,000.

This is considered the most expensive electric scooter. But the price can be justified with the features and speed it delivers. It includes quality carbon fibers, pneumatic tires, and a weight of 59 pounds. It also offers 60-mile range, which is very impressive.