Although electric scooters are popular, one aspect that often raises eyebrows is their price tag. Electric scooters tend to be significantly more expensive than their traditional counterparts, with prices ranging from $300 to over $2,000. This stark difference in pricing leaves many wonder Why Are Electric Scooters So Expensive.
E-scooters are expensive due to their technology, including the battery, motor, and control systems, is more advanced and costly to manufacture. These components need to be durable, efficient, and capable of providing sufficient power for extended periods. Additionally, the production volumes of electric scooters are generally lower than those of traditional scooters, resulting in higher pricing. Also, e-scooter materials play a significant role in their pricing.
So, are e-scooters worth their pricing? Should you choose e-scooter with such a hefty pricing? Join us as we explore the intricacies of electric scooter pricing, uncovering the technological advancements, production limitations, and material choices that contribute to their higher cost. Also, you will know if you should buy e-scooters with so much higher pricing.
Things That Affects the Price of Electric Scooter
One of the main reasons behind the high price of an electric scooter is its battery. The motor of the vehicle also had a considerable impact. Check out the description of different factors that affect the price.
Battery
As we said earlier, the most expensive part of the electric scooter is the battery, without any doubt. The performance of the scooter mostly depends on this part. Like the other electrical components, the e-scooters also require one or multiple quality cells for a long duration of the performance. Usually, most of the buyers of the e-scooter make their choice based on the range and speed of the vehicle.
Typically, lithium-ion batteries are used in electric scooters. They are smaller in size but can hold massive power. As a result, these batteries are the best and also the costliest variations available in the market. As per some sources, the price of the e-scooter depends 30% on the battery.
Motor
Though the motor is not as costly as the battery of the electric scooter, it needs to be dependable for optimum performance. This specific component of the e-scooter transforms the battery power to energy for rolling the wheels. The motor needs to be robust in construction as it will go through frequent shocks and vibrations from the road. The motor needs to be well-built and price around 10% of the scooter to ensure long-term performance and durability.
Research and Development
It has been only a couple of years since the electric scooter comes to the roads. As a new vehicle, the manufacturers still need to invest a huge amount of research and development to bring out the best version of it. They are continuously performing research on hardware, controller, mobile apps, components, mobile apps, etc. things. Like the other fields, the research and development of electric scooters also require a considerable budget.
High-quality Components
When compared with an ordinary bicycle, the e-scooters can go at a massive speed. Besides, they need to deal with shocks and bumps from different types of terrain. As a result, they need to arrive with higher quality components to ensure longevity on day-to-day uses. All the parts of the scooter, including brake, controller, accelerator, tires, etc. need to be highly optimized and well-constructed to ensure reliable performance for a long time.
The quality components also increase the price on a bigger scale. As an example, the electric charger costs around 10% of the total amount, when the dashboard and internal circuit board cost 10 to 15% and tires around 5%. The metal frame construction can cost up to around 8%, depending on the construction.
Other Causes
Apart from the battery and motor, the shipping duty or import cost of the e-scooters is also very high. Especially if you are under the EU, you may need to pay as high as around 25% of the total cost of the vehicle. Another reason for the higher shipping cost of the e-scooter is because they are very heavy.
Another reason behind the high price of the e-scooter is their limited demand. Though the tiny vehicle arrives with a lot of flexibility, people are not yet ready to adopt the vehicle. It is mainly because of the different riding styles, limited range, and limited speed of the e-scooters.
Why Are the Lithium-ion Batteries So Expensive?
As we said earlier, lithium-ion batteries are highly expensive, although they are the top choices currently for electronic components. The e-scooters combine some of the costly chemicals. As the name implies, it mostly includes lithium, which is considered to be a costly chemical. Apart from the lithium, there is cobalt in Li-ion batteries, and it works as the negative cathode of the cells.
Cobalt is hard to find metal, which is only found in a limited number of mines. Though there is less amount of cobalt in the li-ion batteries, it cost more than the total amount of lithium. Cuts in cobalt production dramatically increased the lithium-ion batteries at their peak several times. The cobalt costs a thousand dollars more than the same amount of lithium.
The price of lithium-ion batteries is very high, as it requires costly chemicals and materials.
The Verdict
Though the electric scooter is pretty expensive, the price is seeming to drop in the current years. That is because of the higher demand or a significant number of sales in the last two years. More so, the price of the battery is also decreasing with the implementation of the newer technology.