Battery not holding charge

I HAVE THE SOLUTION!! No, it's not what you're going to want to hear, but I have it nonetheless. The cheapest and easiest way you're going to fix this issue is by firmly grabbing the scooter, hoisting it directly upwards, clearing the rim and depositing it into your nearest refuse container. This is junk at its finest, brought to you from the worst in value and service, the Razor Company.

I did a little investigation into this problem as I too experienced what everyone that owns a Razor scooter does; it works for about two months, then suddenly the "battery stops holding a charge". You can Google Razor scooter issues and get page after page of this happening, along with more pages of frustrated people learning Razor won't do anything about it. But I digress.. back to the facts..

I need not repeat what I've already posted with regard to the issues surrounding my scooter, purchased Dec. '08 as a Christmas gift and not ridden (midwest snow) until the last month or two tops. So as I posted previously, it stops working and I'm assuming it's the batteries. I call my local Batteries Plus store and they say they can help. Here's where it gets interesting.

I bring in the entire scooter and charger. Let me say that I found the charger included in with my scooter.. "interesting?".. as directly underneath the red/green lights there are Chinese characters instead of English words, thus I never had any idea what these lights indicated. That notwithstanding, the test the charger on the spot and tell me it's working and is (pay attention here) 41 volts of charge. This means nothing to me at the time. I learn that testing the batteries in the scooter will take a couple days and they say they'll call with the results.

Before leaving, one of the CSR's engages me in a conversation about his identical experience with the Razor scooter he got for his kids one year prior. The circumstances mirrored everyone elses: it worked for 2 months, stopped working, he checks the batteries, replaces them, still doesn't work, he pitches it. Hearing this isn't making me feel any better.

So the weekend passes and here on Monday I get the call from Steve at Batteries Plus. Here's what he finds: There are 2 batteries in the scooter; one is at 60% of its life (this after a mere month of use) and the other is overcharged and 'swollen'. How can this be I wonder? I followed the charging instructions provided with my scooter TO THE LETTER, never leaving it charged for an extended period, etc. Well the answer is simple- the batteries for this scooter are 24 VOLT BATTERIES being charged by a charger that is outputting 41 VOLTS!! ALMOST DOUBLE THE VOLTAGE! It's overcharging the batteries and frying them out.

Steve said he removed and replaced the batteries with 2 brand new fully charged 24 volt batteries and it still didn't work. He surmised the switch that activates the motor, which is run through the charging system, was fried during its last overcharging.

Ergo, the charger included with these scooters is frying the scooters out in a very short period of time. To replace the charger, both batteries, and the switch would be more expensive than just pitching it and buying another brand new one.

This issie is Razor's fault and they should be willing to fix the issues (cue laugh track here). Go to their site and be ready to laugh at yourself for even bothering. Here's what I found. First I click the 'service/repair' tab, then am directed to the 'Razor Service Center Locater' to find the nearest service center to me to have it repaired. I entered my zip code and it said 'Sorry, no results found'. I then try my city/state, and again get 'Sorry, no results found'. Not looking good.

I then begin reading their return policy. It has a warranty that's good for 90 days from the DATE OF PURCHASE. Naturally, in my case I bought it in Dec. but since there was snow on the ground it was useless until spring; I was screwed before it even was given it's first charge. However, for the regular customer they'll find that even so, it's right at about the 2nd/3rd month when this thing takes it's final ride and as such, and through no fault of your own, your're totally screwed.

There are enough complaints on this scooter on the web that at minimum contacting the BBB is in order, and might I suggest a potential class-action lawsuit? This scooter retails still at $149, and like most of you I don't have $149 to throw in the trash every couple of months only to go and repurchase another "disposable" scooter.

So there it is. Not only are the batteries being overcharged and shot, but collateral damage to the electrical system is being done which is frying the switch that engages the motor and other things. Have your charger checked at your local Battery Plus (no charge) and you'll see they are putting out a defective product, and based on several hits on the internet they are clearly aware of it and do not care.

Super Simple Electric Scooter



Picture of Super Simple Electric Scooter!! I
Yes, today we build a friction drive electric scooter that is powered by an 18 volt cordless drill!!
Personal Story: My parents wouldn't let me buy my own electric scooter, so I built one out of stuff we had around the house.
P.S. Keep Dad happy. Buy your own cheapo cordless drill at Harbor Freight and don't use his!!
Okay, onto the parts list.
> A cordless drill (the bigger the better)
>A simple push scooter
>A piece of stick-on velcro (you will use the scratchy side only. If you can get it use rubber tape.)
>A rectangular piece of wood or plastic (this will support the drill)
>A whole lot of zipties
>A bicycle hand brake and cable (for the throttle)
Good Luck

Does the charger put out a voltage, then either the charger is dead or more likely the battery is junk, they only take a limited number of charges

Possibly batteries are bad. You can replace them with these -
E100 Razor Electric Scooter Battery Set 2 batteries 12V 5 5Ah

I recommend getting a good charger/maintainer to try to keep them good for longer.