ElectricScooterParts.com Support Center

I'm about to start a new commuter season on my EcoSmart.  I noticed the batteries started to loose some of their endurance and output towards the end of the fall. They've been through about 130 charge cycles.  I ride to the train about two miles with a pretty good grade in both directions.  On the ride home at night, it started to run out of juice the last few weeks.  So, I'm going to refurb and tweak it and need some advice.

New higher output batteries?  Pluses and negatives.  Options.

Upgrading from 36v to 48v?  What does this affect?  (There's a detailed youtube on performing this upgrade)

Bigger motor?  Change sprocket?

For instance, if I went to a 750watt motor with 4 12v (48v) batteries, what would that give me?  

Can I turn this frame into a speed demon that will fly up the hill and do about 25mph on the flat?    

I want more torque/speed for the uphill portions of the ride.  In the morning it's steep climb to a long down hill and at night after the scooter has been sitting for 9 hours it's the opposite, a long uphill grade with a short thrill ride.  

Thanks.

Hey guys

I wanted to send you a picture of my custom EcoSmart Metro that I just finished. The frame was stripped and painted with 2015 Dodge Challenger Sublime Lime and Mopar clearcoat. The throttle is a 48v with key switch. The batteries are (4) 12V 10ah SLA's wired with 10 gauge neon green and black Sick Wire. It also has a 48v 1000watt Controller mated thru a 40amp push button circuit breaker and features a hidden wireless GPS tracker with vibration sensing alarm and power disable all controlled from a key fob. the motor is a 48v 1000watt with a 10 tooth sprocket and stock rear rear sprocket. The battery box has been drilled for cooling and a volt meter was installed on the bamboo floor plate. The head light is a 3000 lumine 12 LED mounted in a 25.4mm steering stem stem. I also have a 9'' x 12'' solar panel now mounted under the rear basket (not in the photo yet). I built two of these they are identical in color and build with the exception that mine was painted to say ''Zombie'' and my wife's says ''Mombie''. using a GPS Speed Monitor top speed is 31mph on flat ground and it has plenty of power on small hills. The run time is around 45 minutes so far. This has been a super fun project for my wife and I to do together, and it was all possible only because you guys helped out with build advice and with all the parts that were supplied by you guys. You guys are the best and we want to thank you for giving us out dream toys. You guys are AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME.

Hi Robert,

Awesome work. As the originator of the thread, and because you have had such a success, I'm going to ask you to clarify a couple of things for the benefit of everyone who might embark on this project.  

1)  Mounting the 1000W motor - any issues or modifications?  How did you do it?  At first glance, it looks like my EcoSmart has a proprietary mount.   You photos don't show the motor side of the scooter.  Did the bigger motor affect the balance?

2)  Braking.  I'm a bit concerned that the band brake that the ES has is not going to be up to the task. I nearly rear-ended a car that cut me off at the train station parking lot. I want to be able to hit the brakes hard in an emergency.  30 mph is fast enough that a wipe-out or collision would be serious.  I'm wondering if it could or should be upgraded to a rear disc brake.  Bicycle helmet or motorcycle helmet?

3)  It looks like the electrics fit without a deck modification.  True?

5)   Audible change - what does it sound like?  The original ES is fairly quiet. 

6)  FYI - I have a front mud flap and rear fender on mine as I occasionally have to ride on wet roads after the rain. Works great.  And a mirror - gotta have a mirror.   I'm thinking of fabricating some type of scooter faring.  Also, I ride standing when I'm in the parking lot so I can see over the cars and be seen.  

Again, fantastic project and thank you so much for sharing your experience.  This is invaluable.  And I love the paint.  You've show us that the Geeko-Smart is a great hacker platform.

Robert (aka bno) 

Hi Robert aka Bno,

The motor is a ElectricScooterParts.com MOT-481000 model and bolted on without any modifications other than drilling a couple of new holes in the scooter's motor mounting plate. 

I cant really tell you whether the balance is any different between the 500 watt stock motor and the 1000 watt motor because I never rode it with the 500 watt motor. I unboxed the two scooters and immediately stripped them down and sent them off to the body shop to be painted. While the frames were out I modified the battery tray by grinding out the tabs that hold the three batteries into position. after the battery tray bottom was flattened out the four 12v 10ah batteries fit nicely but just for safety and stability I added some foam tabs on the sides to keep the batteries from moving around. 

I swapped out the ATO blade style inline fuse for a 40 amp push button reset circuit breaker that is now mounted in the front of the tray in the void in front of the batteries and the tray was drilled so that the button is accessible on the front of the tray so removing the tray isn't necessary. I also drilled cooling holes in the sides of the tray and a 12 volt computer cooling fan mounted above the controller keeps everything cool via a small solar cell mounted below the rear basket. It works well and is nearly invisible in that if you don't know its there you wouldn't notice it. I am a big fan of hidden wires and a clean uncluttered look. 

The batteries were wired up with custom wires supplied by a friend of mine that builds and installs high performance audio systems in vehicles. He made a set of matching sublime green and black 10 gauge wires. He also installed the GPS Tracker/ Anti Theft Alarm system that hides in the tray and is controlled via a wireless key fob. Everything fits under the deck without raising it. 

The voltage meter is mounted on the deck and is in plain sight and easily readable. As for braking your right in that the rear brake leaves a lot to be desired. because of that I have ordered a front hand brake for a 16'' BMX bicycle and it will mount on the front fork with only a 1/4'' single hole needed to be drilled to mount it. That should take care of the braking. 

For helmets my wife and I purchased a pair of bell snowboard helmets because they are Snell rated a lot higher than standard bike helmets we had them painted to match the scooters and we mounted rear view mtn bike racing mirrors that work fantastic and wireless intercoms so we can communicate without yelling.  

The best part of this whole project was the fun I had building the two scooters with my wife. She did a great job and she and I love riding together. The picture I posted were taken before a lot of the accessories were mounted so I'll have to take some new ones and post them. 

I also can't say enough about the guys at ElectricScooterParts.com the were invaluable in this project without their products and all their advice and knowledge it wouldn't have been possible to build these scooters. I have spent countless hours searching the internet for EcoSmart Metro parts and have never seen anyone even close to as amazing as the guys at ElectricScooterParts. They are the best.

BTW 

I just ordered a pair of 48v 12ah Lithium Ion battery packs for our two scooters. They should reduce the weight of the batteries by 50% and increase the range too and measurements show they will fit under the deck without raising it. I purchased them for 359.00 each. I'll let you know how they work out.

Great.  This is awesome.  This is so helpful. I'm glad you hijacked the thread and filled it out with real experience instead of what ifs.  Time for me to get crackin'.  My scooter season starts in a few weeks.  I'll report back with my results.  

I received the 48v 12ah Lithium-Ion batteries for our two scooters and Installed them. The batteries are less than half the weight of the (4)12v 10ah SLA batteries and a lot cleaner look. everything fits under the bamboo deck perfectly and they increased the run time by a good 10 plus miles and 30% longer. The guys at ElectricScooterParts recommended this swap and they were 100% correct. it made all the difference. If the guys at ElectricScooterParts say it will work then take it as gospel because they guided us thru this entire build and they had our backs every step of the way. They were incredible.

Here are the pictures I promised of the front brake, power meter and motor mounted on the 2015 Sublime Lime Zombie Scoot'n EcoSmart that we built. the front brake and all the upgrades work perfectly and these scooters are awesome. The batterys were switched out for 48v 12ah Lithium Ion packs and give us 30% longer run time than the (4) SLA 12v 10ah batteries that we first had. these batteries also lowered the weight by about half of what the other batteries weighed. We ride these scooter everyday and love them.  

Hi Robert, 

I'm really impressed with the job you did on your ecosmart. I'd like to put the same motor on my own but have very little mechanical skill. Was it really as easy as bolting the new motor to the frame where the old motor was placed?

Hi Robert,

I ordered all parts mentioned in this forum, including an 8mm chain. Did you also use an 8mm chain? If so, did you install a chain tensioner as well? Thank you!

Ryan.....First off adding the motor to the stock mounting plate required only drilling the holes to mount the motor in the plate. I bought the same bolts that thread directly into the motor and mounted them from the tire side of the mount and threaded them into the motor. there is plenty of room to do that and when its mounted with the motor sprocket installed it lined up perfectly without having to shim it at all. 

If you did not know that the scooter didn't come with the giant motor you would swear it was a factory set up it looks that clean. That 1000w motor as heavy as it is doesn't even seem to be there when your riding it and it is fast 28mph at full throttle. Do yourself a favor and go with the 48v12ah Lithium Batteries they are 1/2 the weight and will give you about 30% more riding time than the SLA batteries. and the 48v Lithium pack fits in the stock tray under the foot board.

Matthew...Yes I installed an 8mm chain on both my scooters (My wife has the same 48v 1000watt setup) Because the 1000w motor has so much usable power We kept our scooters close to stock gearing. Stock gearing is a 10 tooth motor sprocket and a 65 tooth wheel sprocket when using the stock #25 chain, When I ordered the 8mm set up I went with a 10 tooth motor sprocket and a 62 tooth wheel sprocket. 

The stock tensioner works just fine with the 8mm although it is a bit noisier. I did not have to replace the #25 chain as it is a heavy duty version stock from the factory and worked great. I simply replaced mine because it looked beefier and is stronger and hey bigger is always better. I also ordered a 9 tooth and an 11 tooth motor sprocket so we can change gearing in about 5 minutes depending if we riding hills or long distances. We just ordered enough chain to make up 1 length for each sprocket change. Its cheap and an easy swap.

Hi Robert,

Thank you for all of this wonderful insight. My inspiration for this project came from your postings and photos. I had to try it all out with as much replication as I could manage. So far I believe I am on track to have the same setup as your two scooters. I'll be working on applying your information above. Then I will post some photos after. Once again, thanks for supporting others like myself with this. I hope to have good updates to come. I may have some additional questions as well.