IP rating in electric scooters
This may be new to you but you ought to know that electric scooters can be affected by both water and dust particles. In full, the IP rating stands for ingress protection.
It simply means the standard rating of protection level that an enclosure or construction provides against the liquids and the solids. With an IP rating, then you, as a user, are able to know how to use and react around the area or object with IP rating.
All electric scooters ought to have an IP rating but not all of them have. A good example of an e-scooter with an ingress protection rating (IP ratings) is the Hiboy S2 e-scooter. It is rated IP54.
The IP rating has two numbers. So, in all cases, you shall have something rated IP XY (e.g IP 56). The first digit, x, shows how well the device or object is protected against solid. The number goes from 0 to 6 where 6 is the best.
The second digit, y, shows how well an object is protected against liquids (mostly water). The number starts from 0 through 9, with 9 being the best.
While power contained in the e-scooter is not enough to electrocute you, it is enough to fry many components once exposed to liquids. For instance, we all know it rains from time to time. If you choose to ride your scooter in the rain or area with water, it might be detrimental to your scooter.
There are high-tier electric scooters whose designs allow them to be submerged in water for some time without destroying it. There are other e-scooters that can hardly withstand a splash from any direction.
The IP rating
Let us examine each value of the scale for both the solids and liquids and know their meaning.
The first digit after IP (for solid protection
0 – it means that your scooter is not protected at all against solids
1 – the e-scooter (or the object of interest) is protected against objects whose diameter is greater than 50 mm
2– the e-scooter is protected against solid particles whose diameter is greater than 12.5 mm
3—implies that your e-scooter is well protected against solid particles with diameters greater than 2.5 mm
4 – your e-scooter is well protected against solid particles whose diameter is greater than 1.0 mm
5—This implies that dust particles may get into your scooter but not in qualities that can potentially harm or interfere with the correct operation of your scooter.
6— your e-scooter will have zero ingresses of dust particles
The second digit after IP (for liquid protection)
0—implies your e-scooter is not protected against liquids in any way
1—This means that your e-scooter (or object of interest) is protected against falling drops of water. The drops must be falling vertically.
2—the drops falling at 15 in a fixed position would hardly affect the e-scooter
3—the e-scooter or the object of interest is protected from low-pressure sprays and showerheads for minutes at up to 60 from a vertical position.
4—the e-scooter or the object of interest is protected from low-pressure spray at all angles for only 10 minutes. (e-scooters in the category are calls splash-proof)
5—for about 3 minutes, your scooter can withstand medium pressure jets ( they are 6.3 mm)
6—for about 3 minutes, your scooter can endure high-pressure jets from all angles (jets of 12.5 mm diameter).
7—This means that you can temporarily immerse your e-scooter or object of interest in water at most 1 m deep for 30 minutes.
8—your scooter is well protected against water even when continuously immersed for a prolonged period.
9—your e-scooter can be cleaned using high temperature jet wash, steam clean, or high-pressure water without causing failures or interfering with scooter operations.
Caution!
Despite the IP rating you find in your e-scooter, be sure to follow the manufacturer`s instructions and directives.
If your e-scooter does not have an IP rating, I would advise you to assume the worse case where it not protects from water and avoids water completely. If you find credible information suggesting otherwise about your e-scooter then you can act accordingly.
why IP rating is important
Do you know the basic working principles of an electric scooter? Well, let me explain. This is how an electric scooter work.
The power is drawn from the battery by the motor. The motor supplies the needed torque to cause your scooter to move. Motor is made up of iron core and cables. Allowing water into the water will cause the iron to last. this will compromise the integrity of your motor.
There are additional circuits that may be damage by water inside the deck. If you know the type of battery, you can also determine the best method to charge it without a charger.
I want to ride in the rain, what IP rating should look for?
You can ride your electric scooter in the rain. However, this does not apply to all e-scooters. Some are not designed to withstand being in the water for long. So, make sure you have the right scooter first
The place where you want to ride your scooter might be prone to rain and you want to ride despite the weather. Well, you should not worry. Look for electric scooters that are rated IP 65. The second digit, 5, indicates that your scooter is capable of withstanding water splashes.
You ought to check your warranty first though. Some warranties are limited. The manufacturer can fail to cover you if something goes wrong.
The manufacturers usually take advantage of customers who pay little to no attention to terms and conditions.
Is it safe to ride my e-scooter in the rain?
We will look into this from various perspectives. The first perspective is whether the electric scooter on itself can directly cause harm to you because of being in the water. The second perspective is whether it is possible to have an accident because of weather conditions.
The electric scooter on itself cannot cause you harm. You might be thinking of being electrocuted. No, it cannot electrocute you. From my experience, the highest voltage I have come across in an electric scooter is around 50 V. We saw in my article on e-scooters design for heavy loads and people.
The amperage in the power cabin is low and it is hardly enough to kill you.
From the second perspective, it is not safe to ride in the rain because roads become slippery. Other than being slippery the visibility is very low so you are likely to crush into other motorists on the road. Combining low visibility and slipperiness can be very dangerous. You are not able to stop when you want to. This also true for other motorists on the road.
What is the difference between water-resistant and waterproof
You may not know there is a difference between water resistance and waterproof when it comes to e-scooters. You may have used them interchangeably.
Waterproof simply means that the e-scooter can be submerged in water without water reaching the components inside the scooter.
Water resistance on the other hand means that the components can get into contact with water without causing any damage. So, being water-resistant means that your electric scooter can only survive a specific level of contact with water.
What is likely to occur if your e-scooter gets wet?
Only a limited number of scooters can withstand dust and water splashes. You can check examples of such scooters in my previous article on e-scooters for adults. In addition to that, you can also check other scooters such as the Segway Ninebot S-plus. This scooter has an IP rating of 54. It can withstand dust particles as well as water splashes.