We hadn’t thought about electric scooters that way before. That’s probably because most folk we know store them under shelter during harsh weather. However Bird and Lime share-scooters stand around in the snow and ice after dark. This led us to wondering should electric scooters be treated this way, especially with regard to their batteries.
Why Should Electric Scooters Batteries Go Slower in Winter?
The City Lab published a story of a Dev Ops engineer and his girlfriend collecting Bird and Lime e-scooters overnight. It seems these get used in Denver in rain or shine, and even the snow does not stop them.
Mike and girlfriend Mia earn extra bucks a few hours each night picking up scooters needing charging in his Jeep. This brings in $75 an hour when the rest of us are tucked up in bed. They find more and more business as the winter gets colder. Why should electric scooters behave this way? The reason is simple. Their batteries become sluggish when the chemicals inside them get cold.
This Is the First Full, Cold Winter for Ride Sharing Scooters
It’s an open question whether potentially inexperienced riders should be risking skidding on ice in the beard-shattering cold. The City Lab magsite confirms Lime, Bird and others, ”all have plans to continue to deploy scooters where they can.”
Mike and Mia pick up Bird and Lime e-scooters when their charge falls below 20%. It could be an idea to check before embarking on a long journey. Should electric scooters batteries run flat, a rider might have a long walk ahead of them trudging through the snow.
However City Lab believes, “So far, Denver’s experience shows that, while e-scooters may be no one’s idea of ideal transportation. They can still operate in extreme winter conditions,
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