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Discussions Question and Answer Forums Electric Scooter, Bike, and Go Kart Modification Forum

Upgrading a Razor Ecosmart Metro to commute to work

Hello all,

   I am completely new to electric scooters. Today I bought a used EcoSmart Metro scooter used that appears to run just fine other than the batteries need replacing -- they only last a few minutes before not having enough power to move the bike. The price was good enough that this is no problem, I planned on modding it anyway.


So the project I had in mind for this scooter is this: I want to try using it to commute to work. Legally in my state I can do 25mph in a bicycle lane, so that's what I want to do. My work is 6.2 miles away and I probably won't have access to a charger while at work, so I'd like it to have a range of 15 miles to be safe. I weigh 235 pounds and am 5'11.5", so I'm bigger than the usual scooter rider; that has to be taken into account.


To recap, here are the numbers:

Rider height: 5'11.5"

Rider weight: 235 pounds (maximum weight for the scooter is rated at 220)

Desired speed: 25mph (default rated for 18mph)

Desired range: 15 miles, or 7 miles with an easy portable charging solution (default rate is 7-10 miles)


If anyone here could point me to upgrades that I could buy to make the EcoSmart do what I want it to do, I'd greatly appreciate it. Again, I'm new to this, so a direct link to the product to purchase would be best. 


Also, feel free to recommend mods to make the ride more comfortable and fun! I may be using this as a commuter, but I'm all for pimping my scooter. :) Thanks!

The scooter could be over-Volted to 48 Volts by installing a battery pack made from four 12 Volt 8Ah or 9Ah batteries and upgrading the battery charger form 36 Volts to 48 Volts. This modification increases the top speed speed to 23 MPH and the range of the scooter remains around the same. Here is a video on this modification.


If you want it to go 25 MPH then a more powerful motor and controller could be custom installed such as our MOT-SD361000 36 Volt 1000 Watt 2600 RPM motor, SPD-361000B 36 Volt 1000 Watt controller, and SPR-2555 55 tooth wheel sprocket. The EcoSmart scooter's battery tray should be big enough to fit three 12 Volt 15Ah batteries to increase the range of the scooter with the new larger motor. Here is a gear ratio calculation showing the top speed with these parts installed.


image


A battery pack made from three 12 Volt 15Ah batteries would have more than twice the capacity of the original battery pack made from three 12 Volt 7Ah batteries so even though the scooter will have a faster top speed the range would be significantly increased and if the scooter was driven at its original speed of 18 MPH then the range should be around doubled with the 15Ah battery pack.


We can help making a conversion kit out of these parts that has matching and labeled connectors, or we could put together a complete parts list if you prefer to wire the parts together yourself.


Please let us know if you have any questions

Thanks for the quick response, this sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. My only question left is, should I upgrade to lithium ion batteries or stay with lead acid (ie, what is the price difference for my needs)?


If you could, send me a complete parts list to the email that I signed up with.


Appreciate it. :)

Lithium batteries usually cost around three to four time more than lead acid batteries so it depends how much you want to spend. For example a 36 Volt 12Ah lead acid battery pack may cost $120 and a 36 Volt 12Ah lithium battery pack may cost $450. The lithium battery pack should last three times longer than the lead acid battery pack though and it will be lighter.


For the parts list we need to know what method you would like to use to upgrade the scooter. Do you want to convert it to 48 Volts and use the original motor, or keep it at 36 Volts and upgrade the motor to 1000 Watts?

Hello again,


Please provide me a parts list using the 1000 Watt motor. If I buy the batteries first and use them without the other upgrades, will that cause any problems? Thanks.

You can install a larger 36 Volt battery pack without causing any problems to the original controller or motor. That is a perfectly safe upgrade to do.

Here is a list of the major parts needed for a 36 Volt 1000 Watt modification upgrade:


Please let us know if you have any questions.

I want to thank everyone on this thread. This discussion has been really helpful in my decision to purchase an Ecosmart Metro. I have one question to ask. If my short term goal is to increase the range of my scooter, will upgrading the battery pack to 3x12v 15ah lead acid be sufficient enough without changing any other component? If my understanding is clear, I would have to buy a new charger for the new battery pack? I hope the question makes sense. Also has anyone tested whether 3x12v15ah batteries would fit inside the scooter without any other modifications? Best, Gilly
Upgrading the battery pack to three quantity 12V 15Ah batteries would not require for any other parts to be modified or changed.

The original battery charger would recharge the 15Ah battery pack however it would take twice as long to recharge it as the original 7Ah battery pack. The original 36 Volt 1.67 Amp charger should recharge the original 7Ah battery pack in 5 hours, and the same battery charger would take 10.8 hours to recharge the 15Ah battery pack.

Most electric scooter recharges are overnight so if 10.8 hours is an acceptable amount of time for the charger to take then the original charger will work fine. However, if you need a faster recharge time then a 36 Volt 2.5 or 3 Amp charger could be purchased.


We have not installed a 36 Volt 15Ah battery pack in an EcoSmart scooter ourselves so we do not know if they would fit without modifications. By taking measurements of the battery tray whether the battery pack would fit without modifications could be discovered. Our 12V 15Ah batteries are 6" long x 3-7/8" wide x 3-3/4" high (151mm x 99mm x 96mm). The standard measurements are approximate and the metric measurements are exact.

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