ESR Models FAQ |
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| When I ride my ESR and the light goes to yellow, why does it go back to green if I turn it back on later? | The batteries are chemical in nature, the light is based on voltage, and the chemistry can make more voltage available over time if you stop depleting the batteries and give the chemistry time to recover. Although the voltage rises, the actual capacity of the battery does not and you'll find it will return to yellow a lot faster the next time around. |
| Should I only charge my battery when the indicator goes to red? | No, if it's not moving, the charger should be plugged in. If you've ridden it very hard, you may wish to wait a while for the batteries to cool before charging, but at the low charge rates that the ESR's charger can provide, we really don't see this as much of a problem. Just plug it in whenever it's not moving. |
| What happens if I charge my battery when it's still green? | It safely recharges the capacity that it lost when it was ridden. |
| Does it hurt the batteries to run when it's red? | Both SLA and Li-ion polymer battery life is longer if you don't fully deplete the batteries before recharging. So, ideally, you should recharge it well before you get to the red. That said, the "red" indication is set at a threshold that is above the point of discharge where damage should occur. So, letting it go red before you charge isn't such a terrible thing, but recharging it in the green or yellow is better for the batteries. |
| Does it hurt my batteries when I go up a lot of hills? (I know it depletes the charge much faster and that's understandable) But does it kill the battery life? | The more current you pull from the batteries, the shorter the cycle life will be. The more power you demand from the motor, the shorter the motor life will be. That said, when climbing hills the recommendation is to get off and walk if the ESR is laboring up a hill for more than 20-30 seconds. The reason is brush and motor heat, as well as current drain from the batteries. Think of it this way, would you rather walk 100ft up a hill, or 2 miles on the flats with a dead battery? If a hill takes more than 30 seconds to climb, and you've got somewhere to go and you're not sure if you'll make it there...walk the hill and extend your range. |
| How long should I leave it plugged in after it starts blinking multi-blink(All three lights blinking together) when using the on-board charger, or when the red light turns green when using the off-board Li-ion battery charger? | As long as you like, but for safety concerns should there be an unanticipated failure in the charger, controller or battery electronics, leaving the charger plugged in beyond full battery charge for extended periods is not recommended. Never use both on board and off board charger at the same time. |
| Does it hurt the batteries to leave it plugged in several days after it does the multi-blink? | No, but as stated above, for safety concerns should there be an unanticipated failure in the charger, controller or battery electronics,leaving the charger plugged in beyond full battery charge for extended periods is not recommended. Never use both on board and off board charger at the same time. |
| Is it hard on the chain/sprocket to coast down hills? | No, but if you're hearing abnormal noise coasting down hills you may have a tensioner, chain, or sprocket problem. |
| What happens when you ride in wet conditions? | The same thing that happens if you drop your cell phone in the pool. Scooter riding in the rain can be very unsafe, so the ESR is not intended for wet conditions. |
Special thanks to Julzz for the Q's, and ByronRACE for the A's