Electric scooters are an ideal mode of transport for short urban commutes. But how are they at climbing hills? Do most electric scooters have enough power for steep inclines, or do riders end up pushing scooters up hills more often than not?
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As is often the case, the answer depends – on the make, model, and components of the scooter, the weight of the rider, and other factors such as wind speed, terrain, tires, etc.
Fortunately, there are many electric scooters that can go uphill on the market, and even scooters capable of climbing steep hills with ease. In this post, we'll look at how electric scooters work, discuss what factors to consider if you're looking for an electric scooter that can go uphill easily, and list some of the best electric scooters for climbing hills.
An Overview of an Electric Scooter Motor and Battery
Electric scooters use two major components; a motor and a battery. A robust motor is necessary to ensure an electric scooter can handle rough terrain and inclines. The motor provides the necessary torque, or rotational force, to power the wheel's rotational movement.
A motor’s power is measured in Watts, a number representing how much torque a scooter can produce. The higher the Watts, the greater the possible amount of torque for better uphill movement.
The battery must also produce enough power to match the output of the motor otherwise riders may find themselves losing significant power when going uphill. Energy-dense, high-quality batteries are essential for electric scooters to travel reliably up hills and should be able to maintain a high power output for extended periods of time.
A good motor and battery combination will ensure that electric scooters can handle most hills without issue at low speeds. An electric scooter with two high-Watt motors and a powerful battery can even climb steep hills without a significant loss in speed.
Single motor electric scooters, whether their motor is mounted in the front or rear wheel, often struggle to climb steep hills or even stop altogether and require a push. This is especially true of single-motor electric scooters with motors rated at 500W or less.
Single-motor scooters with more powerful motors of 1000W and above can usually climb hills without difficulty, but they continue to lose speed as the grade increases.
Dual-motor scooters, on the other hand, tend to be much better at climbing hills. This is true even when the two motors are relatively low-wattage.
For example, a scooter that has two 250W motors for a total of 500 Watts will in general be a much better hill climber than a single-motor scooter with the same rated motor power.
Electric scooters that can go uphill at high speeds is another story.
And yet, when two powerful motors combine with a large, powerful battery, the result is high performance scooters like the Apollo Phantom or Apollo Pro, premium scooters with grippy tires and suspension that can tackle pretty much any kind of terrain thrown at them and keep moving, fast.
When climbing, an electric scooter must carry the combined weight of its own frame and the rider. The total load of both can be a few hundred pounds, depending.
Of course lighter riders will have an easier time cruising uphill, and riders who are very slight may not actually need the power and torque of a dual motor scooter.
On the other hand, riders who are larger or heavier will definitely want to look at a scooter with more powerful dual motors and a high weight limit.
When it comes to climbing hills with an electric scooter, there are a few different tips and tricks that can help improve performance. The first tip is to make sure the battery is fully charged. A fully-charged battery will give the scooter a better chance of going uphill successfully.
Secondly, if you are riding a single motor scooter with a rear-mounted motor, moving closer to the front of the scooter will help increase its speed slightly.
Thirdly, operate the scooter with smooth, steady movements. Focusing on a consistent, gentle acceleration will give the scooter the best chance of going up the hill successfully without slowing to a crawl.
Finally, since rider weight is also a factor in hill-climbing performance, you may want to leave the heavy backpack at home and travel as light as possible if you're out on a ride with lots of inclines.
While most e scooters can tackle a 10-20% grade, steeper hills require more torque, and thus more power, to climb. If you live in an area where you'll be doing a lot of hill climbing on your ride, you'll definitely want a powerful dual-motor scooter that can handle serious inclines and rougher terrain.
While electric scooter motors have become more and more powerful in the past few years, they are still subject to overheating. Trying to push lower-powered scooters up extreme inclines at their top speed can potentially overheat the motor or even , in the worst cases, start a fire.
Most scooter manufacturers will list the max incline in their specs (you can find all max inclines on Apollo Scooters in the compare scooters page). Taking on hills that are way too steep for the scooter, and exceeding the optimal incline rate, the slow acceleration that works best on hills, can cause serious damage to your ride.
When choosing an electric scooter that can climb hills there are several things you'll want to look for -- including, of course, the motor power and battery capacity.
You'll also want to check out the tires. Knobbier, all-terrain tires for off-road use can often perform better on hills, especially if you're riding on rougher pavement or gravel.
Finally, an electric scooter that can go uphill at speed will almost have two motors, one in each wheel, giving it enough combined torque to conquer gravity while carrying a human being.
Fortunately, Apollo's scooters are excellent hill climbers. The single-motor Apollo Air and Apollo City base model do a great job at climbing moderate hills and slight urban inclines with ease.
Heavier riders or those with a desire to maintain a high uphill speed, will want to look into purchasing a more powerful model like the new, dual motor Apollo Rover or the Apollo Pro, with its over 3500W of combined motor power (continuous), the Pro can take on pretty much any road surface and carry any rider.
The dual motor Rover, City Pro, Pro, Phantom V3, and Apollo Ghost all excel at climbing hills. With high capacity batteries and high-wattage dual motors, these are some of the best hill climbers on the market, as well as some of the most exciting and comfortable rides.
Can electric scooters climb hills? The simple answer is, yes, in most cases, they can. Can they climb steep hills without slowing to a crawl, stopping, or overheating and shutting down? For the most hilly terrain, you'll need a scooter built for the job.
Electric scooters have become an essential part of the daily commute in many cities. Almost everyone out there wants to own one, but people who live in hilly cities have one mind-boggling question about these micromobility devices. They always ask: “Can electric scooters go uphill”?
The answer is yes. They can go uphill, but there are a few cautions to it.
If you’ve been to a hilly city like San Francisco or the Montmartre region of Paris, you’ll see people enjoying a fun ride on these devices. Ideally, watching them should give you all the answers you need to stop wondering if electric scooters can go uphill. However, the truth is that not all of these light electric vehicles have what it takes to ride up an incline.
Things You Need to Consider If You Want to Drive Uphill
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There are a few factors you must consider before taking your electric ride uphill. Some of them include:
Steepness of the Hill
Most electric scooters won’t have a problem climbing an incline of about 10-15 degrees. The more powerful ones will seamlessly climb up to 20 degrees, but anything higher than that may be difficult.
Just as you don’t expect your car or motorcycle to climb a mountain or really high hill, it’s quite unrealistic to expect scooters to do it. So, before you start throttling up that hilly path, pause and consider if it’s too high.
Some manufacturers specify hill climbing angles on their user manual. So, it’s essential to study the manual to get more clarity.
Weight of the Rider
A boy who weighs 50 kg can easily ride scooters up an incline, but can electric scooters go uphill with the same ease while carrying a man weighing 90 kg? The answer is no! The higher the weight of the rider, the more difficult it is for your ride to go uphill.
The weight mounted on the vehicle, to a large extent, determines the amount of work the engine and motor have to do. So, before you set out to climb an incline, make sure to check and not exceed your ride’s maximum weight capacity.
Battery and Motor
The motor is the powerhouse of your electric scooter, and it gets its energy source from the battery. Ideally, the motor takes up less power when riding on flat surfaces because plane roads exert less resistance. The power requirement, however, increases when climbing a hill.
If you live in a hilly city, or you intend to ride on hilly paths, lookout for electric rides with powerful batteries. Just as it takes you more effort to climb a flight of stairs than it takes to walk down a street, making electric scooters go uphill depletes the battery faster.
If you want to program your device to go uphill regularly without draining the battery, then you should consider getting stronger batteries. Alternatively, you should choose a ride with strong batteries and a high torque motor of at least 250 watts.
Tires
Considering that cars need strong tires with adequate grip to climb a hill, one may want to ask if electric scooters can go uphill with bad tires? It’s a no-brainer that these micromobility devices require treaded and well-inflated tires to go uphill.
For an e-scooter to go uphill seamlessly, its tires need to be at least 8.5 inches (ca. 22 centimeters). This way, the load on the deck can spread evenly, and the vehicle will have enough balance. Large tires also minimize the excess load on the motor.
Suspension
When climbing a hill, your body tends to lean backward, thereby shifting most of your weight to the back wheels. If your ride doesn’t have good suspensions, this will exert lots of stress on the rear wheels, making the upward ride more difficult.
A suspension takes the bulk of the load away from the rear wheels to facilitate smooth uphill movement.
Breaks
When driving an electric scooter uphill, you need to ensure that your brakes are sharp and sensitive. You’ll need them to help you slow down when you’re moving too fast. They’re also practical when you encounter an obstacle and need to avoid or climb over it. High-end scooters like the Äike T have a double-braking system designed to keep you safe when riding uphill.
How to Ride an Electric Scooter Uphill
Before you start riding uphill, ensure that your battery is fully charged. You want to avoid running out of charge and get stuck in the way. While approaching the hill, ensure that you’re balanced on the deck. Also grip the handlebar tightly, as this increases balance and keeps you in control.
Climbing a hill requires more power than riding on a regular street. So, when you approach a hilly slope, throttle harder to increase the acceleration. Be careful to not over-speed to avoid having an accident.
Lean forward and bend your knees. This reduces the weight on the deck and tires and makes climbing easier. If the hill is too steep and climbing becomes difficult, increase the speed, but always be conscious to not over-speed.
These Are the Consequences When You Ride Uphill
The most common consequence of using electric scooters for uphill movement is that it strains your battery. The more you ride on steep slopes, the more your scooter requires charging. This, eventually, will reduce the battery life.
Other consequences of riding uphill can include:
It can cause motor damage because of excessive workload.
Climbing really high slopes regularly could reduce range and efficiency by up to 50%.
The wheels may break or become faulty due to increased workload.
The motor starts overheating after an uphill ride.
The lifespan of your battery reduces.
Conclusion: Can Electric Scooters Go Uphill?
People living in hilly areas often ask if electric scooters can go uphill. While many scooters can climb a hill, it is necessary to have strong batteries, suspension, and powerful pneumatic tires. Most importantly, you should buy a high-end scooter like the Äike T, which is designed to give you the highest efficiency no matter the terrain.
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