Are electric scooters waterproof?

Are you wondering if your electric scooter is waterproof? This is an important question if you live somewhere where there’s frequent bouts of bad weather and a chance your scooter will get wet. Most electric scooters are given an IP rating which indicates their level of water resistance. In this article we are going to look at what an IP rating is, how to read it, what the ratings are on the Xiaomi M365 / Ninebot Max G30P and some tips on how to improve your scooters water protection.

IP rating means “Ingress Protection” or also referred to as “International Protection”, and is a universal measure on how mechanical and electrical casings / enclosures are protected against debris and water. An electric scooter houses both mechanical and electrical components and is provided with an IP rating from the manufacturer. 

The letters “I” & “P” are followed by two numbers, the first representing protection against debris and the second against water. The lowest number indicates the lowest level of protection and the higher the level the greater the protection. Where there’s a letter “X” instead of a number it means the product hasn’t been tested for what the “X” substitutes.

Source: flowstarvalveshop.com

Nearly all electric scooters carry protection from dust and debris. If the scooter is assembled well with quality parts and fixings, dust won’t be an issue. An IP rating of 5 for debris is the baseline for scooters from reputable manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Segway, and their products seldom have issues with dust. The Xiaomi M365 has an IP rating of IP54, meaning that dust won’t affect its operation. However, it’s good practice to clean and maintain your electric scooter. Debris can solidify in screw heads and in connectors making them difficult to remove when carrying out a service.

An e-scooter has a multitude of electrical connections and when water gets inside the carcass it can cause issues. Some common issues are damage to the boards and battery (which are the most expensive components of an electric scooter). Most IP rated models like the Xiaomi M365 can withstand jets of water with limited ingress permitted. The Segway Ninebot G30 Max P our featured model has a rating of IPX7 for the motor and IPX5 for the body. It can withstand water immersion for short periods of time to the motor, and jets for the body of the e-scooter. Generally the more expensive models have greater IP water ratings as their parts have been individually waterproofed prior to final assembly.

The two main points of ingress are the dashboard and the base plate. The dashboard typically connects to the accelerator, brake sensors, lights and other parts and your scooter will not function if it is damaged. The base of a scooter houses the motherboard and battery (Segway ES2 and some other models have them in the driving pole), and if either of them becomes damaged it becomes a costly repair. You can purchase silicone dashboard covers and seek out a waterproofing service with a service provider who can seal the base from water ingress. This can be a cheap and effective way to improve your scooter’s water protection.

When taking all this into consideration it’s important to read the warranty policy provided by the seller. Most warranties are void if water is found in the scooter. This may even happen if there’s a strong IP rating on your scooter. The majority of manufactures have water detection stickers inside their electric scooters to register if water has gotten inside. When the sticker shows that water has been inside the scooter they will render the warranty void. The user will have to weigh up if the benefit of using their scooter in wet conditions outweighs the potential cost of voiding the warranty.

Avoid driving in the rain when you can, don’t drive in puddles and don’t leave your electric scooter sitting outside. Purchase reputable models with an IP rating and make sure you understand the warranty you’re provided with. The higher the IP rating the less likely your scooter will have issues with water ingress. If you foresee yourself using your scooter in the rain, we offer a waterproofing service that we stand over and doesn’t void our warranty. 

At LOCO Scooters we value your electric scooter experience, as such we provide a two year warranty on all our electric scooters and carry out warranty repairs in our dedicated repair centre. We keep stock of spare parts on a number of models which allows us to carry out repairs at quick turnaround times.

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