How To Make An Electric Scooter? – Electric Scooter

The demand for electric scooters is increasing year in and year out. People of all age groups love riding an electric scooter, whether you’re someone commuting to work or someone with kids who enjoy themselves with their friends riding around on electric scooters. 

Electric scooters are portable, lightweight, environment friendly, and quite convenient to use. But there is still one major problem – electric scooters can be quite costly. Even a basic scooter that can reach a top speed of 15 mph and run for 2 hours at a stretch will cost you upwards of $250.

But there is a solution to this problem! Have you ever thought about making one of your own? It’s not as difficult as you think. A simple DIY electric scooter can be a lot of fun to make, cost you less than $100 in all, and take about 2 – 3 weeks of effort. 

So, are you excited to know more about how to make an electric scooter? 

In this article, I will guide you step-by-step on how to make an electric scooter so that you can enjoy a fun ride and glide around the roads of your city with ease on a tight budget.

What Things do You Need to Make an Electric Scooter?

Making a Frame

To begin, you will need a frame that can form the base to build your electric scooter. 

Find an old rusty bike, a skateboard, and some large pieces of scrap metal from your local junkyard (try to find something that’s not rusted or too light). Once you have located these materials, follow these steps:

• Cut out the support pieces from your bicycle and take out the main steering assembly. This will become the steering gear for your electric scooter. Try to cut as little off as possible; the less you cut, the stronger the assembly will be.
• Now take the handlebar assembly you extracted from the bike, clean it up, and remove the rust. Clean the bearings as well.
• Find a metallic rod to support your handlebar assembly and connect it to the rest of the scooter. Then, cut it out and clean it up. 
• Now make a U-shaped cut in the handlebar assembly to insert the metallic rod.
• Weld the support rod into the U-shaped cut in the handlebar assembly so that the handlebars are perpendicular to the ground. 
• Make sure to cut out a circular piece of metal to cover the end of the support bar you are welding. Weld that on as well.
• Now smoothen your two welded pieces so that it looks almost like they came together from the manufacturer.
• Next, cut your scrap metal piece into two equal parts. 
• Drill holes in these two rectangular pieces so that you can attach the skateboard to them.
• Find two support pieces to weld onto the rectangular pieces. These will hold the scooter in place, so it’s best to use a thick metal plate and bolster it with support pieces.
• Now connect the rectangular pieces to the handlebar using tack welds. 
• Take the skateboard or longboard, and screw in these two rectangular pieces at both ends.
• Similarly, cut out the rear wheel assembly from your rusty bicycle. Cut it down to an appropriate size, and weld it to the rear end rectangular metal piece.
• And that’s it; you’ve got a frame for your scooter!

Finding the Rest of the Parts

The next thing you need is a battery. The battery is an essential component in an electric scooter. You need two 12-volt lead-acid batteries to supply power to the motor through the cable. After securing power, the motor will propel the movement of the wheels. As a result, your electric scooter can run on the road. You may prefer to buy Expert power standard 12 V 7Ah Battery 2 pack. The external casing of these batteries consists of hardened ABS plastic to protect against spills and leaks. The battery has a high discharge rate and provides good service for a long time.

You may also prefer Alfa Wheels Electric Scooter Motor 24 V 500 W to construct your new electric scooter.

The other supplies you need are a DC power controller, cables, a bicycle chain, a lever switch, a steel box of 20 X 40 mm, and a sprocket.

How to Build an Electric Scooter?

Now you are well into the project of how to make an electric scooter. To complete your project, simply follow the remaining steps below.

#1. Grind and Polish the Frame

Use a lacquer remover on the frame of your scooter. Then grind and polish it so that it will look new. Then put two layers of base and lacquer to give a chrome effect.

#2. Replace the Front Wheel With a New One

Buy two 16″ wheels and install them on the front and rear of the frame of your new electric scooter. On the front end, the wheel will have to go into the handlebar assembly, and on the rear end, it will go into the rear wheel assembly that you welded in the last step of making a frame for your electric scooter.

#3. Attach Sprocket to the Rear Wheel

You can replace the rear wheel too with a new 250 mm wheel. Now take the sprocket in your hand and put some anti-seize assembly grease on the sprocket threads. Do the same with the lock ring.

The thread of the hub shell usually consists of aluminum which is quite soft. On the other hand, the sprockets typically consist of steel which is a harder material. Now try to mate the sprocket on the hub shell. You need to take extra care while mating the hub shell and sprocket threads to avoid damage to the soft hub from the hard sprocket.

#4. Install the Rear Wheel

You can similarly install your rear wheel as you have installed the front wheel on the electric scooter.

#5. Install Motor

First, connect the sprocket of the rear wheel and the motor with the bicycle chain, and then install the electric motor on the back portion of the frame by screwing the bolts.

#6. Create Battery Box

Use the 20 X 40 mm steel box you previously acquired and install it on the electric scooter frame. Now place the battery and the controller inside the steel box. Next, connect the power controller with the battery with cables. The red wire of the controller should connect with the positive terminal of the battery. The black wire of the controller should connect with the negative terminal of the battery. You will also need to connect the cables of the controller with the motor.

#7. Time to Install Brakes and Switch

Install the switch on the handlebar, which will turn the motor on and off. You need to connect the switch to the controller. You will now find a large number of cables attached to your electric scooter. So for safety purposes, put them together with zip ties. After that, install the brakes on the handlebar.

#8. Test Your Electric Scooter

Now you can test your electric scooter, and if the wheels do not rotate, you need to check the cable connection once again.

#9. Install LED Headlights, Tail Lights, and Reflectors.

This is something I am very passionate about since I know the figures of the number of accidents that happen every year on electric scooters. Always ensure that you have lights at both ends and indicators when riding on the road. These are pretty easy to put in, and you can connect them directly to the battery box that you created earlier without much trouble. Most of them are lightweight, so you don’t have to worry about putting a burden on your motor, either.

Precautions While Riding Your New Electric Scooter

• You should not ride on the streets of your locality at a speed above 20 mph.
• Don’t ride on the sidewalks of your streets. It will create problems for walkers or pedestrians.
• Always obey the rules and regulations of your city regarding electric scooters.
• You should always wear a helmet when riding. This protective accessory will protect your head and face from any accidents.
• Don’t forget to wear knee pads and elbow pads when riding because they will protect you from unexpected injuries.
• Always ride in bike lanes on your street.
• Try to use LED lights on your electric scooter so that you can ride at night. They will increase your visibility.
• Use your hand brakes to slow down your electric scooter before hitting the throttle or switch.

Conclusion

You must be used to seeing a wide variety of electric scooters on your streets of different models and features. But to ride on your own, custom-built electric scooter is something different. I hope this article has helped you pursue the exciting project of building an electric scooter.

Please share your experience about how you built your electric scooter.

Oh, and while you are at it, I also wrote a blog on how to make electric scooter faster. Also, don’t forget to share your electric scooter pictures with me! I’d love to see them.

Happy riding.

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