Electric Scooter Motors: A Complete Guide

Today we'll explore everything you need to know about electric scooter motors.

The Role of Motors in Electric Scooters

The motor is the heart of an electric scooter, providing the driving force that determines the scooter's speed, acceleration performance, hill-climbing ability, and load capacity. It also has a significant impact on stability and handling.

How Motors Work

Motor components include the stator, rotor, controller, and commutator. The basic operating principle is electromagnetic induction: under the coordination of the controller or commutator, these components work together to convert electrical energy from the battery into mechanical energy, continuously rotating to drive the wheels and propel the electric scooter forward.

Motor Types

By Operating Method

You may have heard of brushless DC motors and brushed DC motors. Here's a brief overview:

Brushed DC Motors use mechanical contact between carbon brushes and the commutator to continuously change the current direction in the rotor coils, generating continuous torque to drive the wheels. The advantages are relatively simple structure and low cost; the disadvantages are short lifespan, high noise, and low energy conversion efficiency. These motors are now rarely seen and basically not used in high-performance electric scooters, appearing only in low-end scooters priced from tens to just over a hundred dollars.

Brushless DC Motors (BLDC) use an electronic speed controller (ESC) to replace the carbon brushes and commutator found in brushed DC motors. The controller intelligently switches the magnetic field direction generated by the stator coils based on the rotor's current position, ensuring the permanent magnets on the rotor always receive continuous force, achieving rotation. The pros and cons are exactly opposite to brushed DC motors: they have long service life, high energy conversion efficiency, low noise, and high control precision, but relatively higher cost. Therefore, brushless DC motors are typically used in better quality electric scooters.

By Installation Location and Drive Method

Motors can also be classified as hub motors and mid-drive motors.

Hub Motors integrate the motor directly inside the wheel hub, directly driving wheel rotation. They feature compact structure, high integration, high transmission efficiency, and simple maintenance. The vast majority of electric scooters use hub motors.

Mid-Drive Motors are installed in the central position of the vehicle frame (such as below the deck or in the middle of the frame), transmitting power to the wheels through transmission systems like chains or belts. These are almost never seen in electric scooters.

Motor Parameters

Power Output

Power output is the most important indicator for measuring electric scooter performance. Power output is divided into two types: rated power and peak power.

Rated Power: The maximum power that the motor can safely output continuously under sustained, stable operating conditions. This is the power value at which the motor can operate under normal working conditions without exceeding specified temperature rise limits while ensuring all performance indicators (such as efficiency and lifespan) are maintained. It represents the power level at which an electric scooter can travel at constant speed on flat roads under normal load. Therefore, it's an important indicator for measuring a scooter's daily riding capability. For example, if a scooter has a rated power of 1000W, this means it can stably provide 1000W of power output.

Peak Power: The maximum power that the motor can withstand and output for short periods. This power value is usually much higher than rated power, but the motor can only operate at this power for very brief periods (usually a few seconds to tens of seconds), otherwise it will overheat or be damaged. It represents the electric scooter's instantaneous burst power, which is important for scenarios like starting acceleration, hill climbing, and overtaking. For example, an electric scooter might have a rated power of 1000W but peak power could reach 1500W or even 2000W. This means it operates at 1000W during normal riding, but when accelerating or climbing hills, it can instantly output up to 2000W of power, providing stronger acceleration and hill-climbing ability.

Rated Voltage

Rated voltage refers to the voltage at which the motor is designed to operate normally. It must match the battery pack voltage. Common electric scooter motor voltages include 24V, 36V, 48V, and even higher. Higher voltage means the motor can output more power at the same current, usually indicating higher speed potential.

Torque

Torque refers to the continuous rotational force output by the motor to turn the wheels. It can be divided into rated torque and maximum torque. Higher torque means the motor has stronger ability to overcome resistance (such as vehicle inertia, slope resistance, wind resistance), and can generate greater acceleration or hill-climbing force.

RPM (Revolutions Per Minute)

This refers to the number of rotations the motor makes per minute. It can be divided into rated RPM and maximum RPM. Higher RPM means faster electric scooter speed.

Rated RPM: The RPM the motor can achieve when operating under design conditions, meaning at rated voltage and rated load (usually at optimal efficiency or stable operating state). It's an important indicator for measuring normal motor performance.

Maximum RPM: The theoretical maximum RPM the motor can achieve under no-load or light-load conditions, usually with maximum voltage input. It reflects the motor's ultimate performance.

Motor mechanical power output is ultimately expressed in terms of torque and RPM. The calculation formula is: Power (W) = Torque (Nm) × RPM (rpm) × 2π / 60

Efficiency

This refers to the motor's efficiency in converting electrical energy to mechanical energy. Higher efficiency means the motor outputs more useful work with the same amount of electricity, resulting in longer range and less heat generation. Brushless DC motors (BLDC) typically have higher efficiency than brushed DC motors.

Electric Scooter Motor Configurations

Single Motor

Single motor electric scooters are equipped with only one motor for power. It's installed on either the front or rear wheel (rear-wheel drive is more common due to better center of gravity and traction).

Dual Motor

Dual motor electric scooters have one motor on each the front and rear wheels, providing more powerful performance but with some additional weight. Of course, the cost is also higher.

With the same total power, compared to single motor, dual motor provides faster acceleration and stronger hill-climbing ability. With the same battery capacity and reasonable usage patterns, dual motor electric scooters can typically provide longer range and riding time.

Knowledge Extension: Why do dual motors provide faster acceleration, stronger hill-climbing ability, and longer riding time than single motors?

How to Choose Electric Scooter Motors Based on Your Needs

If your speed requirement for an electric scooter is only around 15 mph, then choosing a 500W motor is sufficient. A 500W motor is lightweight enough, has low power consumption, and meets the power needs for low-speed riding.

When you have no pursuit of speed but use a 1000W motor, you might find that at the same riding speed, a scooter with a 1000W motor consumes more power than one with a 500W motor. This is because during low-speed riding, the required continuous motor output power is relatively small, perhaps only 200W. To maintain this speed, both 500W and 1000W motors can continuously output 200W, but the actual battery power consumed to output this 200W is different. Each motor has an optimal efficiency operating range where energy conversion efficiency is highest and losses are minimal. For a 1000W motor, 800W-1000W might be its optimal efficiency range; for a 500W motor, 400W-500W might be its optimal efficiency range. When the output power is 200W, it's closer to the 500W motor's optimal efficiency range, so the 500W motor will be more power-efficient.

Electric Scooter Motor Maintenance

When using an electric scooter, avoid running at maximum speed, maximum power, or climbing steep hills for extended periods, especially in hot weather. This will cause motor overheating and accelerate aging.

Also avoid overloading by keeping the weight within the manufacturer's recommended rated load range, as overloading puts additional stress on the motor.

Remember this last point: non-professionals should not disassemble the motor, as disassembly may reduce waterproof performance or damage internal precision components.