There’s no doubt about it, electric scooters are the new quick, hip, and oh so green way to get about town! With their fuel efficiency, speed, and portability, they’re helping us tackle the commute, have fun with friends, and generally get from A to B without placing more strain on our bank accounts and, of course, our shared home, planet Earth.
However, these nifty devices are only feasible if they fold down to a smaller unit for carrying and storage when we arrive at our destination. Nobody wants a full-scale scooter to drag around all day when they’re not riding!
Well, the good news is that most e-scooters do indeed fold down nice and compact to make our transitory lives that much easier — hooray! But how this is actually done perplexes quite a few users. So, today, we’re going to be discussing just how the heck these contraptions collapse down into their smaller form. Let’s get to it!
What Is A Folding Electric Scooter?
A folding electric scooter does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a scooter with motorized assistance facilities that use electricity as a fuel source, and, you’ve guessed it… it folds down to a convenient size for storage and transportation on foot.
Electric Scooter: Individual Differences
Okay, so here’s the thing… no two electric scooter manufacturers will use the same folding mechanism on their products, so this guide may not be as specific as you’d hoped, but the good news is that they all go about it in a similar sort of way. Allow me to elaborate.
There’s really only one logical way to fold a scooter, and that’s by bringing the stem down towards the platform, thereby halving the device.
Being that this is the established method of doing things, It shouldn’t take long to figure out how any brand of e-scooter folds down.
The key area to focus on is the bridge section between the platform and the stem. In that area, there’ll be some sort of latch that holds the frame rigid. The trick is to simply find the latch release mechanism, and voilà; the stem will fold down to the platform.
Let’s take a look at a general example, shall we?
Folding An Electric Scooter: A Step-By-Step Guide
Here, we’re going to fold down a hypothetical e-scooter. Combine these steps with your scooter’s user manual (for specifics), and you’ll master the folding mechanism in no time!
Step 1: Stabilizing The Scooter
First thing’s first; you have to stabilize the scooter, so you can fold it down safely without damaging it or injuring yourself. Thankfully, most designs arrive with a robust kickstand you can whip out to support the scooter at any time.
Don’t worry if your ride doesn’t have a stand, though, as they’re not your only option here. You could also prop your scooter up against a wall or any other stable structure, or, failing that, you can support that scooter by keeping one foot firmly on the platform.
Then again, if you’ve got a friend with you, simply have them support it while you engage in a bit of scooter origami.
Step 2: Grip Release (Only Some Scooters)
Some electric scooters arrive with the ability to remove the grips to get it even smaller. Consult your user manual to assess whether your scooter is capable of this.
If yours is capable, you should be looking for a release button usually found on the back side of the handles. Simply push these buttons down, and remove the grips.
Often, this stage is a prerequisite for continuing the folding process, so if your scooter can do this, it likely means you have to do this.
Step 3: Locating The Folding Mechanism
Next up, you have to find the folding mechanism. This will always be located on the section of metal that brides the platform to the stem. Typically, it will be a latch or a button.
Sometimes it’ll be a single stage mechanism, meaning you only have to interact with one component to trigger the fold. Other times, as is the case with Gotrax e-scooters, it’ll be a dual stage mechanism, meaning you have to interact with two components to get the stem to go loosey-goosey.
For this stage, you’ll have to once again consult your user manual to see specifics, but here’s how it usually goes down… generally speaking.
On most models of e-scooter, the release mechanism will be brightly colored to guide the eye to it and make folding it more intuitive, so keep your eyes peeled for a brightly colored lever, notch, or button.
If you find a button, push it; if you find a lever, pull on it; if you find a notch, press it in a certain direction; if you find some sort of combination of these components, activate them simultaneously. But try to support the stem while doing so. The last thing you want is it to fold down on your fingers — ouch!
Step 4: Folding The Stem
Okay, so you’ve liberated the stem from its rigid position, awesome! Now you need to bring it gently down towards the platform until it’s folded completely in half, thereby giving you a neat little package to carry around.
But don’t just let it rest there. You’ll need to secure it in place to ensure it doesn’t try to return to its full form while you’re carrying it around.
There should be a latch on the rear fender that clips to the stem or handlebars. Push the stem firmly into the latch and listen for an affirmative click. That, my friend, means your work here is done!
Unfolding An Electric Scooter
To unfold your electric scooter, typically speaking, all you have to do is push down on the rear fender, thereby releasing the stem from the latch, and push it into a riding position until you hear the satisfying sound of the locking mechanism.
Some scooters might use a secondary locking mechanism in the bridge between the platform and stem to keep the device folded. If that’s what you’re dealing with, you’ll likely have to use the same release method you used to fold the scooter down to get it back up and running again.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, folks — a general, yet informative guide on how to fold and unfold your electric scooter. Now you can ride with confidence, knowing that wherever you end up, you won’t have to lug a cumbersome contraption along with you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfHi9z_jIkk