Electric Scooters and Vanlife: The Winning Duo
Introduction
With the addition of batteries, scooters now offer several advantages that perfectly align with the nomadic lifestyle. This article explores how to choose the right scooter for your campervan, manage its battery life, and ensure its maintenance for a safe and enjoyable travel experience.
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Key Takeaways for Scooters in Campervans
- Vehicle Choice: Electric scooters offer a practical alternative to bikes and public transport in large urban centers.
- Ease of Storage: Electric scooters are appreciated for their compact size, making storage in campervan compartments easier.
- Lightweight Scooters: Opt for models with a low weight, prioritize the journey from the campervan to the center of the destination, and walk the rest of the way.
- Road Safety: Emphasize the importance of safety equipment like helmets and lights, especially in urban areas.
- Energy Management: Use solar panels or portable batteries to charge the scooter without relying on fixed electrical installations.
- Informed Choice: Consider lightweight yet durable scooters that suit the number of travelers and the available space.
We haven’t filmed the video on this topic yet, so we are offering the video on the presentation of our campervan.
Why Do Campervans Struggle in Big Cities?
Living in a van offers freedom, especially in nature, but in the city, it gets tricky. You’ll quickly realize that free spots or service areas in the heart of cities are as rare as a $1 coffee. So, how do you explore the city center without breaking the bank on parking or wasting hours looking for a spot?
Parking Issues and Accessing Urban Centers with a Campervan
The problem is simple: campervans are often too large for urban parking lots, and dedicated spaces are rare or overpriced. Imagine arriving in a big city like Paris, Lyon, or Marseille (or even smaller cities, because these three are almost impossible with a campervan—BUT IMAGINE). Narrow streets and undersized parking lots are not designed for large vehicles. Parking costs can quickly become a financial drain, especially for an extended stay.
Alternatives: Public Transport, Bicycle, or Scooter?
- Public Transport: Convenient, but not always near campervan areas. And let’s admit, it’s less flexible.
- Bicycle: A good option, but it requires storage space and physical effort, which might not always align with your vacation plans.
- Electric Scooter: Lightweight and compact, it’s often the best choice for navigating urban streets without breaking a sweat.
Our Personal Experience
From the start, we had two bikes on the bike rack of our campervan, and we often used them in cities like Edinburgh, Seville, and Amsterdam—cities where, fortunately, the cycling network was particularly well-developed. However, for the past few weeks, we’ve been using personal electric scooters in the city where we’ve settled down a bit. For our next campervan trip, we plan to replace the bikes with the scooters. We’ll update the article with our feedback after that.
What’s the Best Companion for Vanlife: Electric Scooter or Electric Bike?
Choosing between an electric bike and an electric scooter will significantly impact your vanlife experience. Each has its strengths, but also some constraints that can tip the balance. The scooter, however, seems to stand out for vanlife.
Comparison of Size and Weight
Electric bikes offer stability and comfort for long trips, but their weight and size can be a headache. On average, an electric bike weighs between 20 to 32 kg (44 to 70 lbs), while some compact models can be a bit lighter. You’ll need a bike rack, and sometimes lifting the bike becomes a mini strength training session if you don’t have a height-adjustable rack. (A bike rack typically supports up to 15 kg (33 lbs) per bike, for a total of 3 or 4 bikes). In contrast, the electric scooter is greatly advantaged by its lightweight, usually weighing between 9 to 14 kg (20 to 31 lbs). It’s clear which one will be easier to handle and transport.
Range and Speed
When it comes to battery life, electric bikes often last longer thanks to more robust batteries, offering a range of 50 to 129 km (31 to 80 miles), making them ideal for longer trips. The electric scooter, though less enduring with a range of 8 to 72 km (5 to 45 miles) and an average market range of 30 km (19 miles), is sufficient for urban excursions or quick errands and is easier to recharge due to its light weight and compactness.
Comparing the speed of electric scooters and electric bikes, electric bikes generally perform better. On average, electric bikes can reach speeds of 32 to 45 km/h (20 to 28 mph) thanks to various levels of pedal assist, while electric scooters typically have a top speed of about 24 to 40 km/h (15 to 25 mph). (Anyway, you’re not allowed to go over 25 km/h (15 mph) in most European countries, and 6 km/h (4 mph) on sidewalks when allowed.) However, while the electric bike allows you to go faster on designated paths, the scooter will save you time in heavy traffic and on streets without bike lanes.
- Practicality: The scooter is the champion in urban environments due to its ease of navigating through crowds and simplified parking.
- Range and Speed: The electric bike takes the lead for long rides, especially if you plan on hilly roads or countryside paths. For city use, the scooter is a must-have.
Our Personal Experience
Let’s set aside the non-electric bike, which has been our companion for visits until now. If we had to choose between electrically assisted transports for vanlife, it’s clear that the scooter would be the ideal companion. It allows us to choose spots that are a bit further away and quieter, without having to rely on elbow grease and leg power to reach the city center every time. While biking is pleasant in mild weather, when it’s very hot, arriving at your destination soaked from pedaling uphill in the sun, with all our video equipment, is far from enjoyable. We speak from experience; we’ve known more pleasant ways to travel.
How to Charge Your Scooter While Living in a Van?
When living in a van, using solar panels or a portable battery to recharge your electric scooter might seem ideal. But how long does it take, and how many charges can you get?
How Long Does It Take to Charge a Scooter in a Campervan?
Charging Time = Panel Power (W) / Battery Capacity (Wh) = 400 W / 250 Wh = 0.625 hours
Electric scooter batteries, typically with a capacity of about 250 Wh, charge at variable speeds depending on the power source. If you use a 400W solar panel (without a storage battery), the total charging time depends on the amount of sunlight. On average, one hour of sunlight should be enough for a full charge. This is in theory, because your scooter charger won’t deliver as much power as the panel does at any given moment.
A scooter charger (with a 70W output) will typically take between 3.5 to 4 hours.
Charging Time = 69.7 W / 250 Wh ≈ 3.59 hours
If you have two scooters, you’ll need a full day of sunlight to charge both scooters. Therefore, the most optimal solution is to use a portable battery, which stores energy during the day to recharge your scooters at night.
How Many Scooter Charges with a Portable Battery?
With a 1kW portable battery (such as the Ecoflow Delta 2, Allpowers R1500, or Aferiy P110-D), you could theoretically recharge your scooter four times (assuming no other energy consumption from the portable battery). With a 2kW battery (such as the Ecoflow Delta 2 MAX, Allpowers R2500, or Aferiy P210-D), this number doubles, allowing up to eight full charges. Of course, this varies based on the current battery level of the scooter and the actual available capacity after accounting for energy losses during power conversion.
Our Opinion
Due to the limitations of the scooter charger rather than the scooter itself, we recommend opting for a storage battery to comfortably recharge your scooters. If your budget allows, consider getting less expensive scooters so you can invest in a battery. This battery will not only power your scooters but also other everyday devices!
How to Choose the Right Scooter for Your Campervan?
The factors will vary depending on the usage. You need to consider the weight, size, and number of travelers. You want a scooter that not only stores easily but also meets your mobility needs.
Essential Criteria for Selection
- Weight and Size: Lightweight models are perfect if you have limited space. They are easy to carry and store in the small compartments of campervans.
- Battery Life: Depending on your travel plans, the scooter’s range will be important. For long urban explorations, opt for a scooter with a higher battery capacity.
- Number of People: If you’re traveling with others, consider scooters that store compactly without taking up all the space. The more people, the more crucial the available storage space becomes.
Our Opinion
Use the scooter for the most important journey, which is getting from your campervan to the center of the place you want to visit, and then explore on foot. Walking is great for your health, and 10,000 steps will do you a lot of good. Vanlife is also about enjoying walks, and as we explain in our article on fitness in vanlife, the nomadic life can paradoxically be sedentary due to the vehicle’s size. If you do this, you don’t need a scooter with a long-range battery. A smaller battery will be cheaper, you’ll use it only when necessary, and charging times will be shorter. In short, you’ll win in every way!
How to Ensure Your Safety on a Scooter During a Road Trip?
When you venture far from home on a road trip, safety becomes a top priority to avoid accidents where quick assistance may not be available. So, let’s talk a bit about safety and common sense.
Tire Monitoring and Management
Tires are your only connection to the ground on a scooter, and their condition greatly influences your safety. Fortunately, many modern scooters are equipped with a tire pressure alert system that allows you to monitor this pressure in real time (more as a reminder you set monthly, weekly, whenever you want, rather than a true pressure indicator). Properly inflated tires provide better grip and greater resistance to punctures.
Personal Protection
Unlike a closed vehicle, on a scooter, your body absorbs the impact in the event of an accident. It’s crucial to wear appropriate protective gear such as a sturdy helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads to minimize the risk of serious injuries (especially outside urban areas).
Route Planning
This is more common sense than pure safety. Before setting off, plan your route with tools like Google Maps to gauge the distance you need to cover. This helps ensure the distance is within the range of your scooter’s battery, considering possible performance variations due to extreme temperatures. Batteries can indeed discharge more quickly in very hot or very cold climates.
Conclusion
I’m not sure if you’re convinced, but on our end, we have to admit that the scooter seems to be the perfect mode of transportation for vanlife. Its ability to easily navigate urban spaces, combined with its easy storage, makes it an ideal option for those looking to explore without the constraints of a large vehicle. It allows you to choose safer spots for your van, while avoiding the time losses of public transport and the energy expenditure of pedaling.
We’re fans!
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