Electric Scooter Repair Help > Electric Scooter/Bicycle Parts Glossary

Electric Scooter/Bicycle Parts Glossary

ABEC: The ABEC (Annular Bearing Engineering Council) scale is sometimes used to rate wheel bearings. The higher that the ABEC rating is, the greater the precision of the bearings machined tolerances. The ABEC scale used odd numbers in increments of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. The drawback of the ABEC scale is that it only rates the precision of the bearings machined tolerances, and not the quality of the materials that the bearing is made out of or the smoothness of the bearings machined finishes.

Ah: see Amp hour.

Amp hour: Amp hour (Ah) is a universal storage battery rating system used in conjunction with Hour Rating for measuring a batteries storage capacity. Most commonly the higher the Ah number is the bigger the battery will be and the more electrical storage capacity it will have. Sometimes identically sized battery Amp hour ratings will vary between different battery manufacturers. This is because the manufacturers rate their own batteries and some rate the Ah rating of their batteries higher than others do.

Ammeter: an analog or digital meter which reads the Amperage usage of an energized electrical circuit.

Amperage: The strength of electrical energy flowing through a circuit. The more Amperage a Battery powered device uses the faster the Battery Pack will run out.

Amps: see Amperage.

Battery: a component which stores and releases electrical energy, also see Battery Pack.

Battery Pack: Two or more batteries combined in a series or parallel wiring arrangement which store and release electrical energy, also see Battery.

Battery Charger: an electrical device which recharges batteries, also see Charger.

Belt: see HTD Belt.

Belt Pulley: see Cog.

Brushless Motor: an advanced design electric motor which uses Hall-Effect sensors in place the old of brush and commutator system to detect the electromagnet positions inside of the motor and apply electricity to the proper electromagnets at the proper time. Brushless motor benefits include lighter weight and higher efficiency when compared to standard brushed type DC motors.

Cadence Speed Sensor: a component which senses an electric bicycles pedal crank speed and sends and electronic signal to the bikes Speed Controller which controls the amount of power that the motor receives. Used on Pedal Assisted or PAS type of speed control systems on electric bicycles.

Chain: an assembly of metal parts which transmits power from one rotating shaft to another. On most electric scooters the chain is used to transmit power between the motor and rear wheel. On most electric bicycles two chains are employed, one for the motor to rear wheel, and another for the cranks to the rear wheel. Roller chain is one of the most efficient power transmission systems known to mankind. It is more efficient than rubber drive belts and also more efficient than the standard gear transmission systems used in automobiles and trucks.

Charger: a electrical device which recharges batteries, also see Battery Charger.

Charger Plug: an electrical power connector attached to a battery charger which connects and disconnects from a Charger Port.

Charger Port: an electrical power connector attached to an electric scooter or electric bicycle which the Charger Plug connects and disconnects from.

Circuit Breaker: an electronic component which interrupts the flow of electricity when it detects an Amperage level that is higher than the Amperage rating of the circuit breaker. On electric scooters and electric bicycles the circuit breaker is located in the Wiring Harness between the Battery Pack and the Speed Controller.

Cluster: an assembly of different sized Sprockets arranged in ascending order which works in conjunction with a Derailleur and Shifter to create a manually operated variable speed Power Transmission System.

Clutch: see Freewheel or Freewheel Mechanism.

Cog: a pulley with vertical grooves which mates with a vertically grooved cog Belt to form a Power Transmission System. The benefits of a cogged Drive Belt system are lower belt tension levels and the elimination of belt slip during operation. Cogs go by many other names such as: belt sprocket, pulley, belt pulley, cog pulley, timing pulley, gear, belt gear, timing gear, and cog gear.

Control Module: see Speed Controller.

Controller: see Speed Controller.

Component: a monolithic part or an assembly of parts which is designed to be replaced as a single unit.

DC: see Direct Current.

Derailleur: a bicycle Power Transmission System component which works in conjunction with a Shifter to change gears on a rear wheel Cluster.

Direct Current: the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by batteries, solar cells, and dynamo type generators.

Drive Belt: see HTD Belt.

Durometer: an instrument used for measuring indentation hardness of rubber, plastics and other materials.

Freewheel: see Freewheel Mechanism.

Freewheel Mechanism: a component of the Power Transmission System which disengages the rear wheel hub from the rear wheel chain sprocket whenever the wheel spins faster than the sprocket does. Sometimes referred to as a Clutch or freewheel Clutch.

Fuse: an electronic component which interrupts the flow of electricity when it detects an Amperage level that is higher than it's own Amp rating. On electric scooters and electric bicycles the fuse is located in the Wiring Harness between the Battery Pack and the Speed Controller.

Hall-Effect: a proximity reading sensor which employs a magnet and an environmentally sealed electronic sensor to detect the proximity of the magnet to the sensor. Hall-effect sensors are used inside of the throttles found on most electric scooters, electric bicycles, and other electric ride-on vehicles.

HR: HR stand for Hour Rating which is a universal storage battery rating system used to determine the method that the stated Amp hour rating of a battery was calculated. Common battery ratings are 20HR, 18HR, 15HR, 10HR, 5HR, and 2HR. The storage capacity difference between a 2HR and 20HR battery is around 15%, and the storage capacity difference between a 10Hr and 20HR battery is around 5%.

HTD Belt: a flat vertically grooved fiber reinforced rubber Cog belt designed for power transmission between two Cogs.

Key Switch: an electrical switch which requires a key for operation. Electric scooter and electric bicycle key switches are used to turn the vehicle's power on and off. The key can only be removed in the off position to prevent it from becoming lost while driving.

PAS: see Pedal Assisted.

Pedal Assisted: a type of speed control system used on electric bicycles which uses a Cadence Speed Sensor to regulate the amount of power that the motor receives. With this type of system the rider needs to pedal lightly in order to operate the motor. Power Assisted speed control is required by law for all electric bicycles used on public roads in many European countries.

Power Transmission System: an assembly of externally mounted components or a single sealed component which is responsible for transmitting the power of the motor to the drive wheels. The most common type found on electric scooters and bicycles is the chain and sprocket transmission system. Other popular power transmission systems include the belt and cog transmission system, and finally the highest quality albeit rarer and more expensive sealed gear transmission system which utilizes machined steel gears inside of a sealed metal casing and has no exposed moving parts other than it's driveshaft.

Roller Chain: see Chain.

Sealed Lead-Acid Battery: an electrical power storage device which uses lead-alloy plates in conjunction with fiberglass spacers filled with an acidic paste which resists leaking if the battery case is accidentally cracked or damaged.

Shifter: a hand operated lever or twist grip which engages different gears on a rear wheel Cluster.

Shunt: a component which works in conjunction with an Ammeter to detect the amount of current being used by a circuit. A shunt is traditionally a short piece of metal which an electrical charge passes through. It behaves as a resistor which inherently has a small amount of  micro-Voltage present at either end of it's leads when energized. Ammeters convert the micro-Voltage output from the shunt into the Amperage reading on the scale.

SLA Battery: see Sealed Lead-Acid Battery.

Speed Controller: an electrical component of an electric scooter, bike, or ride-on vehicle which when used in conjunction with a throttle allows for precise control of the electric motors speed.

Sprocket: a Power Transmission System component which transmits rotary power from a shaft to a chain, or visa versa.

Thumb Throttle: a handlebar mounted thumb operated lever which controls the speed of an electric scooter, bike, or ride-on vehicle.

Twist Throttle: a twistable handlebar grip which controls the speed of an electric scooter, bike, or ride-on vehicle.

Twist-And-Go: a speed control system used on electric scooters, electric bicycles, and other electric ride-on vehicles which controls the speed of the vehicle with a twistable throttle. Twist-and-go throttles or twist throttles have built in springs which return the throttle back to the off position when it is released or let go of.

Voltmeter: a digital or analog meter which displays the Voltage of an electrical circuit.

Voltage: the potential tension between two points of an electrical circuit.

Volts: see Voltage

Wiring Harness: an assembly composed of wires and wire connectors designed specifically for one brand or model of electric scooter or bicycle.