Battery types
Lead acid batteries
Electric scooters are commonly supplied with lead acid batteries. Electric scooters generally require four 12-volt batteries with a combined ampere-hour (AH) rating that varies, depending on cost. In May, 2015, an authorized dealer in Bangalore for a nationally reputed electric scooter company quoted a price of Rs.14,000 per set of 24 AH batteries, and Rs.19,000 per set of 33 AH batteries.
What's the difference, besides the cost? The batteries with the higher AH rating have a greater range per charge, and will run a longer distance, overall, before they die out. The greater range is a big plus point if the owner has to commute longer distances and through heavy traffic. The higher cost is a big minus point if the battery overcharges and is ruined early in its life.
You can read more about issues related to batteries in the sections on Disadvantages, Charging, Practical notes, Range, and Cost Analysis. To navigate to these pages, either click on the key words or click on the headings at the top of this page.
Lithium ion batteries
New models of electric scooters come with lithium ion batteries, and some older models are now offered with a lithium ion battery option in place of the lead acid battery option. An advantage of the lithium ion batteries is that their lifespan is 1000-3000 charging cycles and 3-5 years. A disadvantage is the very high cost. Whereas a lead acid battery e-bike may be available for Rs.40,000 and below, the lithium ion battery e-ebikes may cost Rs.1 lakh and above.
E-bike range and power are greater with lithium ion batteries.
Electric scooters are commonly supplied with lead acid batteries. Electric scooters generally require four 12-volt batteries with a combined ampere-hour (AH) rating that varies, depending on cost. In May, 2015, an authorized dealer in Bangalore for a nationally reputed electric scooter company quoted a price of Rs.14,000 per set of 24 AH batteries, and Rs.19,000 per set of 33 AH batteries.
What's the difference, besides the cost? The batteries with the higher AH rating have a greater range per charge, and will run a longer distance, overall, before they die out. The greater range is a big plus point if the owner has to commute longer distances and through heavy traffic. The higher cost is a big minus point if the battery overcharges and is ruined early in its life.
You can read more about issues related to batteries in the sections on Disadvantages, Charging, Practical notes, Range, and Cost Analysis. To navigate to these pages, either click on the key words or click on the headings at the top of this page.
Lithium ion batteries
New models of electric scooters come with lithium ion batteries, and some older models are now offered with a lithium ion battery option in place of the lead acid battery option. An advantage of the lithium ion batteries is that their lifespan is 1000-3000 charging cycles and 3-5 years. A disadvantage is the very high cost. Whereas a lead acid battery e-bike may be available for Rs.40,000 and below, the lithium ion battery e-ebikes may cost Rs.1 lakh and above.
E-bike range and power are greater with lithium ion batteries.