Nov 13, 2023
Shorter days, darker nights, and chilly temperatures all impact autumn and winter scooter rides.
So, we created a handy guide to help you make the most of electric scooter rides during the colder months.
And your first tip’s right here! Ensure the scooter you’re about to ride is fit for riding in any weather by properly maintaining it.
To ride safely in any weather, it’s essential to maintain your electric vehicle.
Maintenance usually means checking for a few simple things to prevent issues later down the line.
Bolt’s technical team regularly looks over our scooters and e-bikes to ensure they’re safe to ride.
Generally, maintaining an electric scooter means:
If you’re about to rent a Bolt scooter, do a quick check before your ride. Make sure the brakes work and that the scooter moves smoothly.
If anything appears broken or not working as it should, you can easily report it through the Bolt app.
Tap the little warning sign in the scooter section, submit your report, and our team will handle it.
You can also report scooter issues online.
This depends on the specific e-scooter model. For Bolt scooters, the answer is ‘Yes’!
Though, of course, you’ll want to avoid extreme weather such as torrential rain, high-standing water, and flooded areas.
For typical autumn weather, Bolt scooters are safe to ride as they’ve been built to withstand rain.
| 💡 If you want to know whether a scooter’s fit for wet weather riding, you’ll need to check its IP rating (Ingress Protection Rating). An IP rating is a universal standard scale for water and dust resistance and is, therefore, highly reliable. Cheaper scooters may come without an IP rating, in which case you shouldn’t ride them in the rain. The electronics components of Bolt scooters have an IP-67 rating. |
Here are our top tips on how to stay safe riding a scooter in the rain:
If you need a reminder on the basics of riding a scooter safely, check out these 10 simple safety rules.
The key to scooter safety in low-light conditions is increasing your visibility!
Besides dressing warmly — with special attention on wearing gloves — there’s 1 more important thing to look out for.
When temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing levels after rain or snowfall, black ice may form. Rain or melted snow will freeze, forming a smooth, glossy layer on the pavement.
You may be able to spot black ice from the way light reflects off it — it will look glossy or similar to a wet floor. Always avoid riding on ice!
Cold weather can also affect e-scooter batteries, shortening the range a scooter can travel. It’s always good to keep this in mind if you’re planning a longer ride.
You can extend battery life by riding at a slower speed.
Air resistance grows as your speed increases, and that increased air resistance means the scooter needs to work a bit harder than it would at a lower speed for the same distance.
Bolt’s scooter battery components come from top providers in the industry, so you can be sure they’ll work just fine — even in colder weather.
Our latest scooter, Bolt 6, for example, is equipped with a 1.1 kWh high-range battery designed to go up to 90 km on a single charge!
Our batteries also have a feature that turns them off should any issues be detected.
And that’s it!
After reading this guide, you should be well prepared for taking scooter rides in the cold weather.
Still have some Bolt scooters-related questions? See our FAQs below:
Bolt scooters and e-bikes remain on the streets for use until weather conditions get too severe.
Depending on your country and its weather conditions, scooters can be used throughout winter or be taken off the street by November or December.
No. Bolt scooters aren’t equipped with snow tyres and shouldn’t be ridden in snow. Hail a ride or rent a Bolt Drive car instead!
Absolutely! The electronics components of Bolt scooters have an IP-67 rating. Bolt scooters are safe to ride as they’ve been built to withstand rain. However, we recommend avoiding extreme weather.
Yes. All Bolt scooters are equipped with a front and backlight for better visibility.
Feeling extra-prepared to take a Bolt scooter for a spin now?
Download the app and go!
