We all know electric scooters are fun. The sun on your skin, the wind in your hair – trying one out is not a hard sell. On top of that, there are also the practical benefits of riding electric scooters.
For the most part, e-scooters are low carbon footprint, easy to ride, traffic busting, cheap and help you get from A to B at higher speeds than you might think.
What many might not be aware of are the less obvious life hacks that come with owning a lithe, electric, micro mobile vehicle.
1. Keep An E-Scooter in the Trunk, Never Valet Again
Valet pricing is no joke. In many major cities, hotels and restaurants regularly charge upwards of $20 to valet your vehicle, and that's not including tip! Who can afford that?!
Come to think of it, how many collective hours have you spent circling your favorite spot for a bite to eat, praying for a street-side parking space to magically free up, only to end up coming out of pocket for a valet or incredulously overpriced parking spot?
If this conjures up memories of you scraping together loose change from all the cup-holders in your car, you're not alone.
One way you can get around this dilemma is by picking up an electric scooter to whizz you to your dining destinations without the added parking bill - essentially providing you with free rides.
Even if the location of an event you're eyeing up is a bit too far away for a scooter ride, consider this combination: The Drive + Scoot hack.
Whether it be a dinner, concert, or sports game, the Drive + Scoot method will get you exactly where you need to be while saving you bundles of time (and money) by skipping those pesky queues.
Store your electric scooter in the trunk of your car, look up some easily accessible parking within a 10-15 minute walk from your destination, park on the cheap, and unload your e-scooter to get you where you need to be on two wheels in two minutes.
This sure-fire e-scooter life hack will not only help with minimizing costs, but it'll also help you to minimize stress by leaving painful parking a thing of the past.
2. Shop, Don’t Drop
In the manner that the Drive + Scoot method saves you time, so does our “Shop, Don’t Drop” e-scooter hack. It probably hurts to think about how many minutes you burn on a regular basis waiting for spots to free up in the parking lot of your local department or grocery store, wishing you had a blue badge to get to the front.
If you’re one of the millions of professionals around the states who pick up ingredients for dinner during rush hour, or an outfit at the mall before an event, you know the droning pain of standing still among a sea of minivans and sedans.
Even better than skipping the valet is skipping the parking debacle altogether. Simply hop on your electric scooter and say goodbye to parking lot bottlenecks forever.
Most e-scooter handlebars can definitely accommodate a few reasonably stocked bags, even at top speed.
Whether it’s an impulse splurge, last-minute dinner shopping for the week ahead, or just some well-deserved retail therapy – you can think of your electric scooter as your go-to shopping steed.
Make sure to wear the correct e-scooter safety equipment, and maintain a lower speed limit initially, and before you know it you’ll be riding your Unagi with two shopping bags attached to the handles with ease.
Shopping trips will never be a drag again (nor will the commute, for that matter!)
3. Charge your Scooter on The Go
Ok, so you know the feeling when you forget to plug in your phone or laptop before going to bed, and wake up with low battery and a sense of dread at the risk of missing something important?
Making it all the way through the day with a drained cell phone or laptop should be considered an extreme sport, and getting around on a lightly charged scooter can be a real drag (quite literally.)
Luckily for Unagi riders, our charger is so light and low profile, you can store it in your backpack and plug in your scooter just about any location you might stop along the way.
In keeping with the e-scooter etiquette rules, always remember to fold your scooter while walking into an establishment and to be courteous to the staff, but don’t be shy about asking for a charge.
Most people can relate to having to fill the tank of their car, even if it's a hypothetical one.
In fact, many companies offer charging services nowadays without cost, so long as they can store your device conveniently out of the way.
So, whether you’re getting some work done in a coffee shop, cowork, or one of those snazzy wifi-enabled bookstores, you’re sure to find an outlet that’ll accommodate your electric scooter.
Search for a comfy seat, concentrate on finishing your deliverables, and before you know it, you’ll be out of that battery red zone and ready to keep on riding, without the unwanted speed limiter.
If you like to keep your e-scooter charger at home or at a specific site like your workplace, you might consider picking up an extra battery charger. Your future self will thank you.
4. Get More Out of Your Lunch Hour
Whether you’re working to a strict deadline, ranked by a perpetually high-pressure team, or just under the microscope of omnipresent upper management, you'll know the stress that can come with leaving the office for lunch.
If you live in a metropolitan area, odds are, you sacrifice both quality and variety for accessibility, gobbling down sub-par sandwiches and bland salads simply to refuel before heading back to the grind.
If you drive to grab a bite, budgeting time to find and secure parking, or images of sitting in the drive-through no doubt spring to mind.
Even if you’re lucky enough to have some breathing room to grab a proper sit-down meal or rejuvenating coffee with a friend, you’re probably limiting yourself to choosing one or the other.
Riding on an electric scooter however, you can really push your lunch break to the max.
Whether you’re riding solo or bringing along a friend, your scooter's heightened speed limits and portability will allow you to break free of the confines of your geographically imposed lunching options.
In the time it takes to walk five blocks, you can easily ride twenty at speed, especially on well-maintained public roads, opening a vastly larger base of lunch options from which to choose.
Ride further to your preferred cafés, ride faster to dine longer, or if you're really feeling adventurous, ride-and-stop to hit multiple venues during a single lunch hour.
Imagine that, using your electric scooter to flip the switch on your mundane sandwich session, transforming it into a restaurant, coffee, and juice outing all rolled into one.
Consider lunch well and truly hacked.
5. The Public Transport Piggyback
We took great care to make sure that our lightweight electric scooters also sport a minimalist frame.
Not only will you find carrying an Unagi down to the subway or up the steps to a bus a breeze, but you'll also find it completely noninvasive.
While the bulk of other scooters and e-bikes might pester your fellow commuters, the slim build of the Unagi only inspires curiosity.
You’ll both save space and incur your fair share of compliments.
When piggybacking off public transport, you’ll find your Unagi scooter becomes an absolute superboost to your daily commute.
Consider the time you would normally allot for your walk to and from the train station or bus stop no longer a point of consternation.
Bring your Unagi along for those longer rides, and you’ll immediately find your days less less stressful and more freed up.
It's up to you how you use the time you save on the commute: whether that's an extra 20 minutes in bed, more quality time with the kids before school, or time to stop and enjoy a guilty bagel on your way to work, enjoy the free time your electric scooter warrants you at your own risk.
Everything Else your Electric Scooter Offers
This list is by no means extensive, and there plenty of other things your e-scooter can help you with in order to improve the efficiency of your day.
It's really important to make sure you've read the tutorials and are wearing the proper safety equipment before you take on these e-scooter life hacks.
Now make the most of your new mode of transport and get hacking!
