Apollo Rider Data Shows Electric Scooters Lose About 12% of Range at Freezing, Not the 20 to 50% Often Cited
512,359 real-world rides show the loss is gradual and reversed by spring. A second study finds no measurable battery range loss through 2,500 miles.
MONTREAL, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Apollo Scooters today published findings from 512,359 rides on 8,449 scooters, answering how much range an electric scooter loses in the cold: about 12% at 32°F (0°C), all of it back by spring.
A slope, not a cliff
Each ride was tagged with local air temperature and compared with the same scooter at 68°F (20°C). What we found:
- About 12% less range at freezing. A scooter that goes 25 miles (40 km) on a mild day goes about 22 miles (35 km) at 32°F (0°C).
- Loss builds gradually. About 5% at 50°F (10°C), 10% at 41°F (5°C) and 13% at 20°F (-7°C).
- The range comes back. Winter riders dropped to 86% of their fall range and returned to 98% by spring, matching scooters never ridden in the cold.
- A bigger battery doesn't help. Every Apollo model, from 540 Wh to 1,800 Wh, lost 10 to 15% near freezing.
"Most of what you'll find online says 20 to 50 percent," said Maciek Piskorz, Co-Founder and CEO of Apollo Scooters. "We couldn't find anyone showing where that number came from, so we measured it. And unlike an electric car, a scooter has no cabin to heat. You're wearing the heater."
Apollo's advice: size a scooter for the November commute, not the July one. Take the round trip and add about 15%.
Who keeps riding
In New York, about one in five summer riders still rode in January. In Montreal, fewer than one in fifty. The difference is snow, ice and road salt, not battery chemistry.
Built to last
A separate study of 1.1 million rides on 49,837 scooters since 2021 found no measurable battery range loss through 2,500 miles (4,000 km), about six years of typical riding. Scooters tend to get parked, not worn out: 60% of those past 5,000 miles (8,000 km) were ridden in the last three months, versus 16% of those under 100 miles (160 km).
Full findings
The complete cold-weather study, with charts and methodology, is at apolloscooters.co/blogs/news/does-cold-weather-affect-electric-scooters. The lifespan study is at apolloscooters.co/blogs/news/how-long-does-an-electric-scooter-last.
About the data
Findings come from Apollo app rides: April 2025 to October 2026 for the cold-weather study, and since August 2021 for lifespan. Each scooter is compared only with itself at similar speed and trip length, with range measured on real roads as distance per percent of battery. The data covers Apollo scooters only, though the cold-weather effects reflect lithium-ion chemistry rather than anything brand-specific.
About Apollo Scooters
Apollo Scooters is a Montreal-based electric scooter brand designing commuter and performance scooters for riders across the United States, Canada and Australia. Learn more at apolloscooters.co.
Media Contact:
Maria Asiain
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SOURCE Apollo Scooters
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