Electric Scooter's Fuse or Circuit breaker is busted – Electric Scooter

Your e-scooter’s fuse or circuit breaker is busted many times? Electric scooters, like consumer electronics and other electric vehicles, have parts and components that are sensitive to damage. Using your e-scooter in an incorrect way, overuse it, or else overcharge it can cause the damage sensitive parts to malfunction or worse, cause the device to catch fire. Operating your electric scooter over water can also expose components like battery and motor to damage, and even doing stunts, driving over uneven and unpaved surface, and forcing your e-scooter to ascend steep inclines can add stress not only to the sensitive electronics, but also to the other parts such as the frame, fork, and wheels.

In some point of time, your electric scooter will get to experience wear and tear, especially if it has been in use for two years. It is a given that you will come across various electrical issues, such as a blowing fuse or a tripping circuit breaker, so wonder no more whenever a fuse or circuit breaker is busted.

Why your e-scooter’s fuse or circuit breaker is busted always? First we need to know what they are. A fuse is a protective device that consists a piece of strip wire that melts and breaks an electric current when there is a short circuit or overload or over-current. On the other hand, a circuit breaker is a switch which can be operated automatically and manually. Its function is to cut off electrical power if the wires are overloaded with electricity, which by doing so helps prevent fires. A circuit breaker does the same job as a fuse, albeit in a different way. In an electric scooter, a fuse or a circuit breaker cuts off power when the motor exceeds a safe level.

There is a number of reasons why your e-scooter’s fuse or circuit breaker is busted always. A fuse can blow or a circuit breaker can trip due to:

Overload

Do you drive your electric scooter up hilly areas or steep inclines? Do you drive with a heavy load? Or are you quite heavy for your device? If yes, then no wonder why the fuse or circuit breaker is busted always. You can operate your e-scooter almost anywhere, but that does not mean you should. E-scooters may be durable, but they may be unable to endure certain riding activities or conditions, like driving up long hills with a heavy load or riding an e-scooter which can only support a maximum load or rider weight of 165 lb (75 kg) when you, the rider, weight 200 lb (91 kg). These can cause your device to become overloaded, reason why the fuse or circuit breaker is busted. If this continues to happen, the motor or speed controller will break down due to excessive heat.

Overheating

Electrical components such as motors and speed controllers can overheat, and when overheated, they draw much more electricity from your device’s electrical system than they would normally. When the circuit is overloaded with power, the fuse or circuit breaker is busted.

Brakes

The fuse or circuit is busted whenever the brakes are applied? You will need to check your brake components, adjust the brake cable tensioner, and change brake pads or shoes as often as you can. Because if you don’t, you will not only blow out a fuse or breaker, but also compromise your safety.

What to do when a fuse or circuit breaker is busted?

Any type of vehicle is bound to break down at some point, and electric scooters are no exemption. As e-scooter owner, it is your responsibility to know your device well and back up your ownership with adequate technical know-how. When something goes wrong with your electric scooter, you need not to take it to your retailer or service center and pay for repairs. If you can determine how the fuse or circuit breaker is busted, among other issues, you may be able to troubleshoot the issue on your own.

Smell, touch, and take a look – Every time an overheating occurs and a fuse or circuit breaker is busted, you will be able to see the evidence, smell it, and feel it. Overheated electrical components will smell smell like burned plastic or rubber, and wires and wire connectors will look like burned or melted.

Remove the deck plate or wiring cover and look for any disconnected or loose wires and wire connectors. Reconnect disconnected wires, and push and pull all wires and connectors to ensure they are not loose. Also look for burned and melted wiring, wire connectors, and electrical components. Inspect them closely with your senses. Anything component that smells like burned plastic or looks like burned or melted are always defective. Replace them immediately to prevent damage to other components or the electric scooter.

Check the motor

Motor issues can be reason why a fuse or circuit breaker is busted. Check the motor for anything that looks like burned or melted or smell like burned rubber or plastic. A burned or melted wire or wire connector indicates motor overheating which cause the plastic insulation to melt off the electric motor’s electromagnetic wire windings. This poses risks of short circuit and potential damage to the speed controller. This will cause the electric motor to run or not to run and the speed controller to overwork and eventually overheat. At that, the fuse or circuit breaker is busted.

Check the speed controller

Another reason a fuse or circuit breaker is busted is due to overheating speed controller. Inspect the controller for melted or burned wiring and wire connected, burned plastic, or oil smells. Speed controllers with these signs of damage are no long usable and should be replaced. However, it is also possible that a speed controller can be defective even without any burn or melt or smell. Issues on the components around the controller can help explain why your fuse or circuit breaker is busted. You will need to test these components and apply the process of elimination to determine whether the speed controller is in good working condition.

With adequate electrical and technical know-how, you can narrow the focus of your inspection. If a fuse or circuit breaker is busted when you hit the brakes, check the brake light circuit. If a fuse or circuit breaker is busted as soon as you turn the key on, the issue could be anywhere that receives ignition switched power. When doing this, make sure you have a wiring diagram to help you identify wires and circuits. Your e-scooter manual should come with a detailed wiring diagram.

In case when your electric scooter stop working while in use, a fuse or circuit breaker is busted probably. Make sure all wires and wire connectors are properly connected. Wait for a few minutes, then push the circuit breaker to restart the circuit. Check and correct the condition that cause the breaker to trip.

When shopping for e-scooters, choose the model that is able to support your weight or else just shed a few pounds if you are already using one. Avoid operating e-scooter in gravel, sand, or soft dirt. This will only cause your device to overload. If you cannot avoid driving up a steep or long incline, relieve the load off your electric scooter with some kick push support.

If a fuse or circuit breaker is busted, whether you handle this problem on your own or take it to your service center, is to troubleshoot the involved electrical circuit, find and identify the defect, and make the necessary repair or replacement, before replacing the fuse or resetting the circuit breaker. If you are to replace a fuse, install a proper fuse. Installing an oversized fuse does not solve the issue of blown fuse or circuit breaker, but only make the problem worse.

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