How To Make An Electric Scooter Faster

Let’s face it, most of us who buy an electric scooter secretly love the thrill of speed. But, we quickly become complacent with how fast our scooters are and we start to think – how can we get more speed from our scooter?

The question is – CAN we get anymore from our electric scooters? The subject of getting your scooter to go faster is likely to be met with “can” your scooter go faster – and, that will depend on the make and model of what you already have.

I write this simply because, some scooters are easy to hack to get them to unlock that extra bit of speed, whereas some scooters simply cannot be made to go faster.

Making your scooter go quicker can be done in a number of ways, some of them quick, easy and achievable by anyone (without technical knowhow) and some that may require an element of “geek” or expertise in electronics when it comes to batteries and controllers. In this short punchy article, we look at some nifty ways you can get more speed and power from your scooter. 

Can your scooter be made to go faster?

The question is important – if your scooter simply isn’t capable then your options will be majorly limited to things such as shedding weight and increasing tyre pressure.

So how can you find out whether or not your scooter is “hackable” ?

Well, firstly some things you can check

Less Speed Hackable

Chain driven / single motor

Motor is brushed

Inaccessible controller

 No control panel / firmware accessibility

 Inaccessible battery pack

SLA (sealed lead acid batteries) 

Most scooters can be made to go faster, but, how many speed hacks are available really depend on whether or not you can access the scooters controllers / firmware and whether or not there is the ability to change controllers or put in another battery.

Some scooter enthusiasts have even been able to swap out hub motors but you’ll really need a good level of know-how to find motors that fit and have the right power rating for the battery and controller.

Set it to the highest speed mode

Electric Scooter Speed Hack 1 – Remove speed limiting cable/firmware

Many electric scooters have speed limiting on them making them legal for sale – different countries have different rules and regulations around speed.

Removing your electric scooters speed limiting wire or firmware/software will allow you to unlock full motor/controller potential.  MOST electric scooters below £500-£1000 (ones that use very basic LCD panels) are more likely to be unlockable via software flashing over bluetooth apps.

Larger / more powerful scooters that use the generic colour LCD displays (pictured above) typically limit power using P Settings

One of the most popular LCD Displays is the LT01 / QS-S4 LCD Throttle which has a plethora of built-in settings.

The most common P Settings associated with power limiting are P8 (Motor Power) and P12 (Acceleration Speed).

Upgrade Your Scooters Speed Controllers

Aside from your scooter’s motors, your speed controller can also be a limiting factor.

Often known as an “ESC” or electronic speed controller,  these devices are responsible for power management as well as power distribution to your scooter’s motor. They operate on a basic I/O system—they interpret the rider’s throttle input to establish the power requirements and then modulate the electrical power sent to the motors accordingly, ensuring the scooter’s speed and performance align with the throttle’s current position.

So if you have an electric scooter with a small, low amp, or weak current controller, the power output to the motors will often be less than what the motor can handle. Therefore, to unlock more speed from your scooter, you may need to swap out your controller for an aftermarket or custom controller.

Googling your make of scooter along with “custom controller” or “uprated controller” might yield ideal off-the-shelf controller options. However, it’s important to ensure that the controller you select is compatible with your scooter’s existing components. It needs to be capable of handling the peak voltage of your battery pack and should have a current limit that matches your motor’s requirements. The good thing is that some of these controllers are programmable, allowing for fine-tuning to achieve optimal performance and compatibility with your scooter.

However, be cautioned that using a custom controller is likely to void your scooter’s warranty and could potentially harm the battery.

To summarise, when selecting a new controller, you should ensure that it:

• Can handle the peak voltage of your battery. Using a battery with a voltage higher than what the controller is designed for can cause the controller to fail and overheat. Conversely, a battery with too low a voltage may prevent the controller from operating effectively or at all.
• Is rated for a current that is the same as or lower than that of the battery. If the controller draws MORE current than the battery can support, it could damage the battery. Additionally, the battery should be capable of handling a higher current than the motor requires.

Shunt mod electric scooter for more amps

If dropping £30-100 on a new electric scooter controller feels like a stretch, and you’re the type who embraces a bit of risk, have some time to spare, and possess a firm understanding of electronics and the specific ESC and motor system you’re working with, then this method could be right for you.

For this procedure, you need to open up your controller and access its internal circuit board.

Look for the controller’s shunt; it should closely resemble the picture shared below. The shunt plays a crucial role in measuring the current flowing to the motor, allowing the ESC to adjust the MOSFETs’ on/off timing based on the throttle input to deliver the correct current to the motor.

With a soldering iron, bridge the shunt’s two pins by increasing the solder’s thickness. This delicate procedure involves adding just enough solder to enhance connectivity without overdoing it, as an excessive amount might fry the controller.

By modifying the shunt, you’re essentially tricking the ESC into pulling more power from the battery by making it think it’s receiving less amperage than it’s supposed to. Consequently, this allows a higher current to reach the motor than initially intended, potentially unlocking greater speeds or torque.

But as usual, any modifications done to the controller come with the risk of voiding the warrant and a significant chance of damaging the controller or even the motor and battery due to operating beyond their recommended parameters.

Unfortunately, you’re still not done. With the controller drawing more current, it’s critical to check and possibly upgrade the wiring to ensure it can handle the increased load. Most importantly, check the thickness of the wires leading into the controller and to the motor, and replace the thinner wires with thicker ones to reduce resistance and prevent overheating.

Also, there will be an increase in heat in the whole setup as the MOSFETs will heat up more and faster, so you need to add some heat sinks or cooling material over and inside the controller frame to dissipate this additional heat.

Change your Scooters Battery & Running Voltage

Increasing your scooters system voltage – sometimes called overvolting is a great way to significantly increase top speed

Above is a basic summary of scooter voltages and typical associated speeds.

Increase Tyre Pressure

It sounds like the most ridiculous thing – but it’s actually very effective. Increasing tyre pressure decreases rolling resistance – this means LESS of the tyre is in contact with the floor – meaning less resistance for the motors to deal with.

Increasing your tyre pressure to the maximum PSI can increase speed efficiency by as much as 15-20%.

This means you could, in theory add another 3-5mph to your top speed just by increasing pressure.

It’s also key to understand that your tyre type will also be an impacting factor – for example, flatter tyres or off road tyres are generally bigger, heavier and increase resistance, whilst on road / racing tyres and narrow tread road tyres will have a thinner surface profile for the main part of the tyre.

Knobbly / Off Road tyres are less effective on road – so just changing your tyres could make all the difference.

Ultimately, Consider Changing Tyre and Increasing PSI to Unlock More Speed

If your scooter sports pneumatic (air filled) tyres then consider on road tyres over off road tyres – you’ll have a narrower surface contact profile – it’s also not uncommon to find higher PSI capabilities for road tyres. Off road tyres tend to have a wider surface contact area to make them more grippy off road.

Rewind Your Motors / Hub Motors

This is another – more complex/challenging task. To be fair, very few will have the expertise to be able to rewind a hub motor – but, as with most things, there are usually members of communities who can help. There will also likely be places you can send your hub motors off to for rewinding, saving you the headache.

Rewinding your hub motors will allow for a higher power capability – thus increasing how fast the motor can spin and how fast your electric scooter can go.

To put it into context, increasing the number of windings in your hub motor by 50% can increase speed as much as 75% – but obviously to really benefit from a hub motor winding upgrade, you’d ideally upgrade your battery and controllers to support a higher voltage.

Summary: How to make an electric scooter faster

The most straightforward method for increasing your scooter’s speed is to remove any speed-limiting mechanisms it has. This can be achieved by changing the current speed mode (it might be set to a lower mode) or removing the speed limiter (physical or firmware) that most electric scooters come with. With high-end electric scooters, you will probably have to do both–removing the physical limiter and modifying the firmware, too. Another simple trick is to increase tire pressure to reduce rolling friction, thereby increasing speed.

Stripping weight from the scooter to make it faster is out of the question since an electric scooter doesn’t even have much weight or parts that you can shed without compromising its integrity or functionality.

Beyond these approaches, the only way to add speed to a low-power scooter with a basic controller is by replacing or modifying the internal components. Generally, choosing to replace these parts is simpler. This would involve getting a controller with a higher amp rating, a battery of higher voltage equipped with a superior BMS, and a motor rated for higher power. At this point, it might be cheaper to just buy a faster scooter. However, you can make it more affordable by looking for second-hand parts harvested from other electric scooters on eBay.

Before replacing the parts, look at the maximum working parameters for the various components. Some controllers can typically handle a higher voltage, while all motors can handle a higher power than they are rated for. If they can handle the additional voltage and power, then you can start by changing the battery to a larger one that can supply their max operational limits. However, operating them at their limits can reduce their lifespan and increase the risk of overheating and damage. Upgrading the battery also means adjusting your charging setup, possibly necessitating a new charger.

It’s also important to note that such modifications will invariably void any existing warranty. Therefore, if your scooter is brand new, you might want to consider keeping it in its original state, possibly as a backup option, and instead opt for a faster model.

If acquiring new parts isn’t viable, you could modify what you have. This may involve carrying out a shunt mod on your controller to make it draw more current from the battery and supply more current to the motor. The motor can most probably handle the additional power but can be made to handle even more by removing the old winding and replacing it with new and more windings. Note that rewinding a motor can cost 30 to 50% of the price of a new motor, so it might be more sensible to purchase a new one if the cost is prohibitive.

Overall, achieving a significant speed jump, for instance, going from 20 km/h to 60 km/h, with a scooter powered by a 36V battery and a 350W motor, is ambitious using standard tweaks and component modifications; you might only realistically see a modest increase of 5-10 km/h. However, through the replacement of parts, reaching the speed you desire is possible but also requires careful consideration. Entry-level scooters are not engineered for high-velocity travel. From the tires (some with solid and tiny tires <10 inches) to the frame itself, the components may not withstand significant speed increases without posing safety risks. Hence, unless you’re upgrading an already fast scooter, moderation is key.

A final nugget of wisdom? Next time, aim high with the specs. Get a scooter that’s more machine than you think you need. They’re equipped with speed modes for a reason, giving you the option to dial it back when you need to. Also, buy an electric scooter that is within your weight limit to get the most out of the components without stressing them out.

BIO: 

Daniel is an avid scooter fan who has owned and tested over 50 different scooters. Part time scooter enthusiast & part time SEO specialist.  Daniels favourite scooter is the Dualtron Thunder.