How to increase speed of electric scooter by removing limiter/restrictor

Today we will look at various methods that enable us to increase the speed of electric scooter. There are some weird ways to increase the top speed, but what we will focus on is how to remove the speed limiter on an electric scooter.

But first, we need to understand what an electronic speed limiter is and why it’s there in the first place. What I should mention is that removing your speed limiter on your electric scooter may be illegal in some states. Check the local laws before doing this to see what’s the maximum speed allowed. Going over the legal maximum speed could need registration as a road vehicle.

This information is presented only for fun. I don’t take any responsibility for your own safety and tickets. Do it at your own risk.

What is an electronic speed limiter?

An electronic speed limiter is a configuration in the software of the electric scooter that limits the maximum speed to a specific threshold decided by the manufacturer.

This is not like a mechanical limitation that can be removed easily. It’s embedded in the electric scooter’s controller unit and can’t be removed as easy at it may seem.

Being a software configuration, there are only two ways to remove it and go as fast as your engine and battery allow.

Electric scooter with high top speeds

The simplest way before we get our hands dirty would be to get a right one in the first place. If you just bought a new e-scooter and it doesn’t meet your speed needs you can return it and get a new one. If you already own one for a long time you can always sell it and come up with the difference for a new one. Check out the fastest scooters available on the market in this post.

How to remove the speed limitation on electric scooters

1. Disable it from the electric scooter display

If you can do this, you are lucky. In fact, I am lucky. Owning an E-Twow Booster scooter (also known as UScooter Booster) I can remove the limitation directly from the scooter’s display. Just by pushing buttons. Some of the scooters allow this so called “sport mode”, but they only recommend it for going uphill in order to get more power.

My scooter is limited to maximum 30 km/h by manufacturer. In fact, this can also be configurable as I have 5 levels: 6km/h, 12km/h, 20 km/h, 25km/h and 30km/h. But, I also have the sport mode which removes any sort of speed limit. This way, I can go up to 36 km/h, but it’s possible or even more if you are going downhill.

You will notice that if you have the speed limitation enabled, you can’t go past the set speed even if you are going downhill. This is because the computer slows down the engine if the speed tries to go higher.

How to

On UScooters and E-Twow the basic limitations can be set as follows:

1. Turn off the display
2. Press and hold the electronic brake (the one from the handle). Keep it pressed during the operation
3. Turn on the display. At this moment, it will show the current speed limitation level (one of the following: L1 / L2 / L3 / L4 / L5)
4. Change the limitation level by pressing the LIGHT button until you reach the desired option
5. After you select the desired level, press the S (SET) button
6. Well done, you just changed the speed limitation. You can get your hands off the brake and turn on the scooter

On Uscooters and E-Twow Booster versions the speed limit can be completely removed by following these steps:

1. Turn on the display
2. Press and hold the electronic brake (the one from the handle). Keep it pressed during the operation
3. Press the POWER button. At this moment the display should show: P1
4.  Move to P3 (sport option) using the LIGHT button
5. Press the S (SET) button
6. Well done, you completely removed the speed limitation. You can get your hands off the brake and turn on the scooter

This sport/booster option eliminates any sort of electronic limitation. This option will also increase the speed and torque.

Now, your electronic scooter will be only limited by physical conditions (maximum engine RPM, wind, ramp, weight, etc). The manufacturer suggests to activate it only to ramp up. There are some safety concerns when removing this speed limitation as you may put yourself in dangerous situations.

If you are curious:

P1 – Zero Start – whether the scooter’s engine starts when the speed is at 0 km or it will wait until 5km/h. This prevents accidentally pressing the acceleration when not riding.

P2 – Cruise control

P3 – Sport function

2. Rewrite or flash the main controller software

This is a more complicated operation and usually involves voiding your warranty. I’m not a fan of this as warranty if very useful even after a few months after your purchase.

Xiaomi Mi M365 electric scooter, for example, can’t be unlocked directly from the display. It doesn’t even have a display, but a phone application. To remove the limitation you need to rewrite the software that’s on the scooter’s controller. This is a risky operation. If the process doesn’t go smooth, you can even brick your electric scooter (can’t be used at all).

However, if you are willing to do this, your Xiaomi Mi M365 can reach 30-31 km/h which is impressive considering it has air-tires.

Other ways to make the electric scooter faster

Keep your battery charged

Keeping your battery charged will help you to reach the higher speed possible and also to maintain it for a longer time. While a charged battery won’t improve the maximum speed of your scooter you will get faster acceleration and torque.

The lower the battery level the lower will be the speed. If your battery has only 10% left, the electric scooter is not able to go full speed. When you run out of juice you will notice two things in this order: poor acceleration & lower top speed.

You will notice the poor acceleration once your battery reaches about 40% level depending on your model and specs.

When your battery level is under 20-25% you will notice that it’s hard or impossible to reach the top speed.

Change your tires to airless ones

Airless tires will have less friction with the ground so you will be able to achive higher speeds. Airless tires also improve autonomy so you will be able to ride more miles.

Sprockets

If your electric scooter is new, this isn’t really a good option. But if you have an old scooter, spraying some oil (WD-40) on the sprockets or better, changing them with new ones can make a huge difference. Over time, sprockets wear and will generate some friction with other components.

Uncommon solutions to increase the speed of your electric scooter

Change the battery

It’s not possible on all models as it’s hard to find batteries that will fit in the little space of an electric scooter. But, at least in theory, a better battery that is able to provide higher voltage will propel you with higher speeds.

There are some cautions though as the scooter is not built for a higher voltage. A powerful battery can damage electrical components or the electric motor itself.

Rewinding The Motor

A more complicated solution which will be hard to implement. In theory, you can rewind the electric motor so you will get less torque but higher RPM. You will clearly void your warranty so it’s a risky operation which I don’t recommend.

Why it’s limited?

Many countries have legislation that imposes a speed limitation on non-registered vehicles such as electric scooters. That’s why many manufacturers limit their scooters to a certain speed.

There are other reasons for this limitation, safety being one of them. It’s not safe going with more than 30 km/h on an electric scooter. The risk of injury is very high as you can easily lose your balance and fall. Always wear protective gear.

Make sure your electric scooter is able to do more

Not all scooters can go over the manufacturer speed limitation. UScooter Booster and Xiaomi Mi M365 clearly can, but these are in the mid-range priced scooters. Cheaper scooters may be limited to 20-25 km/h  or so and many can’t reach higher than that even without the speed limitation. Though, the limitation is in place for going downhill.

Search for other rider’s

If you are not sure if you can remove the speed limit on your specific model of electric scooter look around. I found many videos on Youtube that describe the process and the results. Other opinions can be found on forums or even on Amazon’s reviews.

Is removing the speed limiter a bad idea?

Complex questions will usually lead to an “it depends” answer. In this case, it’s hard to generalize and give a clear answer. Some models, like the UScooter Booster can deliver great performance without the speed limitation.

Other models can be damaged because it drains a lot of power from the battery fast and the engine is hot due to high RPM. Unless your scooter has a simple option to remove the speed limit, it’s probably not a good idea to remove it by flashing your controller or other tricks.

If you want to get a fast electric scooter and the local laws allow it, look for one from the beginning. This will save you a lot of trouble.

Here are the main reasons why removing the speed limiter can be a bad idea:

Safety

The higher the speed, the higher the risk of accidents. It’s hard to keep your balance when riding with over 30 km/h on such narrow tires. It’s probably ok in a straight line, but don’t take corners with speed. Always slow down and ride defensively.

Another method to protect yourself is to wear protective gear.

Battery Life

The higher speed will require more power delivered fast. Even if the battery is able to supply it, the heating process can damage it in the long run.

It will be out of juice faster, so you need to charge it more often as you will get a lower range/charge. Lithium batteries have limited charging cycles, so keep in mind that going faster can lead to shorter battery life.

Parts Maintenance

Shocks and bumps will impact the electric scooter’s part more when riding at high speed. If your scooter has a suspension and air-tires it’s better, but can still lead to faster wear.

Conclusion

Speed limitation is not a bad thing after all and there are some good reasons why manufacturers do it. The main reasons for the speed limit imposed on electric scooters are safety concerns and laws.