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Razor Ecosmart Metro Upgrades

Hey All,


Just got a Razor Ecosmart Metro, and like a lot of other people am immediately looking into upgrades. My big question right now is about motors, though I suspect I'll have a number of other questions going forward.


1. I see that other people have upgraded to the 48v 1000w system with the brushed MOT-481000 motor, and that's definitely an option. I'm curious though about the 48v 1800w brushless option you also have (MOT-481800BLDC). Is there any reason I shouldn't upgrade to that one instead? It seems like it should be somewhat more efficient, quieter, and have more power, though I also imagine it's a trade off with the total scooter range/battery consumption. It also looks like the brushless 1800w is just slightly smaller and lighter than the 1000w. Is all of that correct? Anything I'm missing? 


2. While I'm asking about the motor, seems like for either of these motors I'll need to upgrade the chain to an 8mm and get a new sprocket. Any recommendations on what size sprocket I should use? 


For a bit of background, I live in a mostly flat area, but there's a big hill right next to me that I have to ride up to get to work. I can't quite get up it right now without pushing along the way as well, and it would be really nice to be able to zip up it without any problems. I also wouldn't mind a bit more top speed. I'm willing to sacrifice some range to get more power and speed since I live pretty close to where I work. Though I eventually hope to upgrade to some more powerful lithium batteries as well.


And yes, I know I'll need to upgrade the controller, charger, etc. for these upgrades. Just wanting to get some input on motors first.

Please note that only the original Ecosmart motor and controller are bolt-and-go and plug-and-play on the Ecosmart scooter and any other motor and/or controller would require custom installation and wiring to install.


The 48 Volt 1800 Watt motor has a 4400 RPM top speed and the 36 Volt 1000 Watt motors have top speeds between 2600 and 3000 RPM, so the 1800 Watt motor will spin faster and could provide a faster top speed if that is what you are after. It will as you mentioned draw more power from the battery pack though. You can play around with motor RPMs and sprockets on our Top Speed and Gear Ratio Calculator to see which motor and sprockets would be best for your particular needs. Also, to determine the maximum speed that a certain motor should be geared for we have a Drivetrain Parts Selection Guide with Calculators.


The Top Speed and Gear Ratio Calculator can be used to determine which size sprockets will be best to use. On flat ground with a 1000 Watt motor it is best to limit the top speed to around 25 MPH and with a 1800 Watt motor to around 30 MPH unless the scooter will need to climb hills and then a lower top speed would be needed in order to be able to make it up the hill. Our Drivetrain Parts Selection Guide with Calculators can help with this.


You can determine what percent of incline the hill is and then use our Motor Power Calculator or Drivetrain Parts Selection Guide with Calculators to estimate how fast a certain size motor will propel the scooter up the hill. I like to design powertrains for a minimum of 50% the top speed when going up a hill. For example, if a scooter will be used on a 15% incline and its motor will propel it up that incline at 10 MPH then I like to make the top speed on flat ground no higher than 20 MPH. 


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