Can Electric Scooters Go Uphill?

Electric scooters are known for their cost efficiency, but this is due to them running on electrically charged batteries instead of fuel.

Since there is a lack of a high-end energy source like fuel, the motor power of these electric scooters is less than fuel-powered vehicles. This makes one wonder if they have enough power to move up a steep surface easily, and can these electric scooters go uphill?

Well, yes, electric scooters can go uphill, but this depends substantially on the motor power of electric scooters. Most can climb low-lying hills but have difficulty moving up acutely steep slopes. The one with greater motor power can move up a steeper slope compared to the one with less motor power.

Remember that the ones with more motor power also cost more, so you might have to increase your budget if you love climbing uphills on your ride.

Handling steep hills is not the game for just any electric scooter. To a lesser extent, factors like motor power, torque, the motor battery, the scooter’s weight, and the suspension play an essential role in determining how well a scooter can climb hills.

If you live in an area full of steep hills or are fond of riding up hills, this article will be of good use to you, so keep reading.

Factors Affecting the Ability of an Electric Scooter to Go Uphill:

When it comes to finding out whether or not a scooter can go uphill, it comes down to the ability of an electric scooter to overcome gravity, friction, drag, and weight at a given elevation angle.

Therefore, these primary elements must be considered in detail when determining whether an electric scooter can go up hills.

• Weight of the load the scooter carries
• Getting wider or off-road tires
• Removing any speed limitations that the scooter may have
• Motor power and torque
• Weight of the scooter
• Battery power

Any one of these factors can be optimized or improved to get the scooter to climb hills more easily. However, it is not feasible to improve them all at once.

Consider buying a scooter specially designed for climbing steep hills that require significant climbing power rather than converting a cheap scooter into something capable of tackling steep climbs.

Remove any Speed limiters in the electric scooter!

The speed limiters in electric scooters prevent them from reaching their full speed capacity. Because of this, they are not able to climb with ease uphill. The greater the speed, the easier it is for the vehicle to ride upwards.

Removing the speed limiter in your electric scooter will allow your electric scooter to ride at its highest speed. Though it might be dangerous for beginners, professionals can easily manage an increased speed and will have a trouble-free ride uphill.

Removing a speed limiter is easy, and you can learn how to do it HERE.

Things to Consider When Buying Electric Scooter for Climbing Hills:

– Power

Choosing a scooter based on its power output is one of the most important factors to consider when buying an electric scooter.

On the other hand, torque is a force that twists the wheels, rotating them in circular motions. Think of it as every vehicle’s ability to have its wheels moving. The unit of measure for power is Watts (W), while the measure for torque is newton meters (Nm). Power and torque work together to rotate the vehicle’s wheel to its maximum potential.

The power of an electric scooter depends on the voltage and current supplied to the motor.

The more power your scooter has, the more powerful it can be, which, in turn, will allow it to generate more torque, making it easier for it to turn its wheels. Because of this, the scooter applies more force to the road, allowing it to carry you uphill with greater ease.

Consequently, with a 350W motor, an incline of 10 degrees should be no problem, but any steeper slope may present difficulties. The simple way to explain it is that the more power is available, the better the ride on the hills will be.

– Steepness

The hill’s steepness is another prominent element that affects the ability of an electric scooter to climb that hill. In some cases, even cars or motorbikes find it difficult to climb steep hills, plus any professional cyclist too will be familiar with the feeling of struggling up a hill, then having to get off and walk to the top.

Some electric scooters may be unable to deal with gradients of ten degrees, whereas powerful scooters can efficiently deal with angles this steep or even more.

Even though we don’t expect anyone to measure the gradient before trying to climb a hill, it may be a good idea to take a moment to examine it before riding up on it to determine if you are confident enough to do it.

The more knowledge you have about your electric scooter, the better you will understand what it can do for you.

– Tires

Based on the size, material, and grip of the tires on your electric scooter, you will be able to navigate steep hills. With larger wheels, climbing hills becomes much easier, and you can tackle steeper and larger hills without any problems.

The material used to make your tires and how they react with the road surface to create rolling resistance are crucial factors.

It is also important to note that the shape of the tires will be slightly deformed due to your weight, which will, in turn, affect the ability of the tires to rotate. This means that the more the rider’s weight, the harder it will be for the electric scooter to climb uphill.

The next thing that you should know is that even if your scooter is extremely powerful, if your tires do not provide sufficient grip, then no matter how powerful the scooter is, you will have difficulty climbing as the wheels will keep spinning, and you won’t be able to slow down.

As well as having properly inflated tires, it is important to have good traction when climbing hills.

– Weight

It must be considered that the weight capacity of your scooter is an essential factor that determines your ability to climb hills effectively; this is the most significant factor that can adversely affect your ability to climb hills.

When a skinny rider is onboard the scooter, it may be able to climb a hill without issue, but when a larger/heavier rider is on board, it may have difficulty doing so.

Ideally, the scooter you choose should be able to carry more than just your weight. If you can only support your weight when on a flat surface, then the chances of your electric scooter being able to take you up a hill are very slim.

– Balance

If your electric scooter’s suspension system is not appropriately designed, it will be difficult for the scooter to remain balanced when tilted at an angle. On an incline, the rider’s weight will be shifted mostly towards the scooter’s rear wheel most of the time.

When the suspension system of the scooter is not sophisticated enough, the weight is transferred from the base of the scooter to the wheel, which may even cause the base to be pressed against the wheel.

Due to excessive friction between the base and the tire, there may be damage to the tire. This can lead to shorter tire life. 

By having an advanced suspension system in place, you will be able to distribute your weight a little better and evenly. You will be able to ride more smoothly and uninterruptedly, even if you are going uphill.

The balance of the electric scooter is crucial in helping you determine how good it is for climbing uphills, so you better get one with a suspension for a finer uphill experience.

The Maximum Slope That an Electric Scooter Can Climb

It is expected that a good scooter will be able to navigate over a slope of 20 degrees / 36.4% without any problems. The greatest of them will be able to handle slopes of more than 30 degrees / 57.74%.

Most regular electric scooters are known to climb only about 10-15% hill grade. Unlike high-grade electric scooters that can climb 20-30 degrees of hill incline, these electric scooters can only climb 5-10 degrees.

Different types of electric scooters can handle different levels of hill inclines, and these majorly depend on the factors we discussed above.

Hill climbing angles are listed in the manuals by certain manufacturers.

That should help us determine how steep of a hill the scooter can reasonably climb. Although the figures are accurate estimates, they don’t provide a whole picture.

Many scooter makers, though, don’t even indicate the angles at which they can climb hills.

There may be several causes for it. Typically, the more affordable or weaker scooters avoid publishing those figures.

This may be due to:

• The scooter producers weren’t all that certain about the scooters’ capacity for the ascent.
• It was a wiser strategy just to delete that information because the angle was so poorly low.

In light of the foregoing, it may be said that if choosing a climbing scooter, one with a low angle mentioned in the specifications is preferable to one with no angle reported at all. Most of the time, that e-scooter can handle the stated angle, although the other scooters are probably not even that good at climbing hills.

Also, remember that the electric scooter with more motor plus battery power and the ability to carry more weight is most likely to climb uphill better.

Which Are the Best Electric Scooters to Use for Climbing Hills?

The best electric scooters for climbing uphill include:

1) Kaabo Wolf King Plus Electric Scooter:

The Kaabo Wolf King+ has an extraordinary 3000 W motor power, allowing it to travel at a maximum speed of 50 mph and a range of 93 miles. It also has a considerable weight capacity of 330 pounds.

This one will indeed work best uphill since it can climb up a tremendous 50% hill incline due to its massive motor power.

2) Kaabo Mantis 10 Pro Electric Scooter:

The Kaabo Mantis 10 Pro has a motor power of 2000 watts and a high range of 56 miles plus 37 mph top speed.

Same as Uberscoot, this one also has a maximum weight capacity of 265 pounds.

For this one, the climbing angle is 30% which is 16.7 degrees. It is good enough for low-lying hills but not for extremely steep ones.

3) Uberscoot Electric Scooter:

This electric scooter by Uberscoot one has a whopping 1600 W motor power along with a 12-mile range and a top speed of 30 mph. The approximate range limit may decrease when this electric scooter drives uphill.

The maximum weight capacity of this electric scooter is 265 pounds, so you would know to keep your weight lower than close to the weight limit.

The maximum climbing angle for Uberscoot 1600W is 30 degrees. It might be able to go up a hill incline more than this angle, but it would be so slow that you would feel rather good walking uphill.

4) WideWheel Pro Electric Scooter:

With 1000 W motor power and a maximum speed of 26 mph, the WideWheel Pro has a range of 22 miles. This range and top speed may be even lesser when climbing uphill.

The maximum capacity of this electric scooter is 220 pounds, and the maximum climbing angle is 18 degrees which is fine for regular hills that you might find en route to your workplace but not suitable for professional off-road hill climbing.

To explore, you can visit the article on Best electric scooter for climbing uphill HERE.

Tips to Ride an Electric Scooter Uphill

Now that you know the factors that affect the electric scooter moving uphill and the maximum hill incline for it, let’s discuss the tips and the best way to ride it uphill.

– Charge your electric scooter before riding:

It is essential to fully charge your electric scooter’s battery before riding up a hill. If you are wondering the reason behind this, you should know that when any vehicle climbs upwards, it has to use more power than normal.

In the case of electric scooters, they too use a lot of power when climbing uphills which depletes their battery power faster than normal.

Charging it fully before the ride will have you climbing it easily and not running out of power before the ride completes.

– Stand properly on the electric scooter:

Having the correct position when you stand on the electric scooter will aid you in having a safe uphill ride.

Position yourself by slightly bending yourself and standing on the platform by balancing your weight.

This distributes your weight throughout the electric scooter and also helps to reduce the overall weight. This, in turn, will decrease the strain on the motor of your electric scooter and will allow it to move forward with ease.

Remember that if you are leaning forward while riding to distribute your weight evenly, do not move forward enough to cross the handlebars because this will put you at risk of falling.

– Increase the speed of your electric scooter as you climb up:

If you read the factors above, you will see that we mentioned that removing the speed limiter helps the electric scooter climb uphill better. Well, this point relates majorly to that one.

Increasing your electric scooter’s speed as you move upwards will make your motor produce more power. This increased force allows the electric scooter to overcome the force of gravity and hence produces acceleration. The resultant force is what prevents the electric scooter from falling backward or slowing down.

Climbing at a steady speed is safer than climbing at a decreasing speed. The safety of you and others is what you should prioritize the most.

– Gain Momentum:

Gaining momentum and increased speed will give your electric scooter an additional push upwards.

This extra boost is highly recommended for hills that are steeper than 15%.

Why?

Because this momentum will allow you to ride in a flow instead of creating increased pressure on the motor and battery of your electric scooter.

As you accelerate and reach a stable speed, perfect momentum will automatically be reached.

You will conveniently ride upwards unless you put brakes on for some reason, after which you will need to put in the effort to gain momentum again.

– Carry less load:

By now, you might have it in your knowledge that every electric scooter has a maximum weight limit.

This weight has a limit for not only the rider’s weight but also the weight of other stuff, such as a backpack that he carries with him.

The weight of the rider and his belongings should not come close to the maximum weight limit of the electric scooter since this will strain the motor of the electric scooter. It will also rain the battery much quicker, causing the electric scooter to have a shorter range than usual.

What you can do to decrease weight on your electric scooter is to wear light-material clothes, carry minimalist (only very important) belongings with you, and should overall be lightweight yourself.

For an overweight person, riding uphill might be a more difficult job than one with an average approximate weight.

– Use an electric scooter built for all-terrain:

Most off-road electric scooters have a better hill climbing capacity. Now you might need one for a smooth ride, and occasional hill climbs, so choosing an all-terrain electric scooter will give you the benefits of both off-road and smooth road rides.

Even if you might need to ride your electric scooter on off-road hills, then too, this all-terrain electric scooter will be useful for you.

Since they have a better hill-climbing capacity, they are a perfect choice for someone who cannot decide between off-road and on-road rides and needs both electric scooter types.

The Best Way to Ride an Electric Scooter Up a Hill

Out of all the tips we mentioned above, which one do you think is the most important?

Well, you guessed it right! It is the speed of the electric scooter.

As you are approaching a slope on your electric scooter, you should try to accelerate as much as possible to stay safe.

We recommend that you set your scooter to the highest speed and maximum power at that time. It is better if your electric scooter has two motors as this will provide more power to it.

If your electric scooter has it, you can choose the sport mode when riding it uphill. This will give you a decreased range but more power and speed. 

If you are riding your scooter up a hill, you should lean forward and bend your knees so that increasing the speed will be easier for you.

If your scooter seems to be struggling, you may want to increase the speed up to the maximum, but don’t forget to slow down when you reach the top of the hill.

Hill Climbing and Electric Scooter Motor

The performance of the motor in an electric scooter is one of the foremost factors determining how good the electric scooter is for riding uphill.

Sometimes even a good motor may start declining in efficiency.

When this happens, you will need to improve the motor’s performance. This can be compared to improving the performance of a computer’s motherboard or CPU. Although it’s possible, it’s not easy; you can make plenty of mistakes, and you might not see sense in it in the end.

Essentially, it is the motor that makes the scooter work. It is its heart, its beating soul. Therefore, changing the motor itself might not produce the desired results.

However, since the motor is one of the critical components when climbing a hill, therefore,  the power of the scooter will be directly proportional to the angle at which it can traverse, resulting in a more powerful scooter. In other words, the better the scooter is at climbing, the more power it has.

It doesn’t matter what type of scooter it is or how heavy it is; a scooter with less than 200 watts of power will have difficulty going up a moderate hill when an average adult rides it.

When you want to go up hills quickly, you should look for a scooter with a motor of at least 400 watts. However, you should ideally have more power.

In general, scooters with two motors have a better chance of climbing steeper slopes than scooters with just one motor.

Make sure you do not focus on peak power but on the actual power you have at your disposal. Manufacturers can use this type of trick to make their scooters look more powerful.

If you already own a scooter with an average motor, you can do a few things to make it more capable of climbing hills without replacing its motor. Although they may not be able to reach the top of Everest, they can still make a difference and contribute to the overall improvement of your ride uphill.

Consequences of Riding Uphill

Even though most electric scooters have it in their manual that they are acceptable for riding uphill, there are consequences that your electric scooter might face in the long run, especially if you ride uphill regularly.

The first consequence that we will now share is not something you will face in the long run, but instead, you will face this when riding uphill. This is the decreased range of your electric scooter. When the electric scooter is moving uphill, the battery drains faster than usual, which in turn, reduces the range of the electric scooter.

The second consequence is the damage to the electric scooter’s motor. Since climbing uphill is a stressful load on them, the electric scooter’s motor will lose its efficiency if it is consistently subjected to this pressure. Even the tire of the electric scooter heats up after this amount of strain, and the motor has to do a lot more work than the tire, so why won’t it affect the motor’s lifespan?

The third consequence is the possibility of the electric scooter stopping while climbing uphill. In the case of lower-power or lower-end scooters, there is a possibility that they will have so much difficulty climbing that they will ultimately give up and stop. The fact is that even better scooters can suffer from this problem when their batteries are almost depleted.

You can have another go at the hill if you would like. It would be best if you tried to get more speed and momentum this time. If this also does not work, the only solution is to resolve to push the scooter uphill as well.

Final Thoughts,

Electric scooters climbing uphill is easy but has some downfalls. Some people, however, cannot avoid riding uphill because such a path falls in the midst of their regular route.

Select an electric scooter with strong motor power to avoid these setbacks and use the tips like putting minimum weight on the electric scooter when you want to ride it uphill. This will help you keep your motor safe and running smoothly and help you steadily climb uphill without falling.

Hope this article will be helpful to you. Happy climbing!

Explore More Guides on Electric Scooters:

• How to Buy an Electric Scooter for Kids? – Buying Guide
• How to Clean an Electric Scooter? Quick Tips
• What to Look for When Buying an Electric Scooter for Adults? – Beginner’s Guide
• How to Protect Electric Scooters from Theft?