Can You Ride An Electric Trike Without Pedaling | E-Trike Questions

By Addmotor | 19 July 2024 | 0 Comments

Electric trikes are becoming increasingly popular among riders in the US and for good reason. They are much more stable than two-wheeled eBikes and highly accessible.

So whether that’s seniors, adults with mobility issues or just regular adults, anybody can ride a trike safely and comfortably. They are so good that some people are ditching their mobility scooters in favor of eTrikes.

So this begs the question: Can electric trikes replace mobility scooters? Also, can you ride an electric trike without pedaling at all?

The short answer: Yes. Most electric trikes can easily double as mobility scooters and you don’t even have to use the pedals to ride them.

So let’s talk about riding an eTrike without using the pedals and how to find one that can fully replace a mobility scooter or moped.

Can You Ride an eTrike Without Pedaling At All?

Yes, you can ride most electric trikes without using the pedals. You can pull on the throttle and ride an eTrike similar to a mobility scooter and go anywhere purely on electrical assist.

That said, there’s a reason why eTrikes have a mix of pedal assist and throttle controls. Riding on the throttle, all the time can put tremendous strain on the battery.

Riding the throttle will discharge the battery much faster. It can also lead to overheating and other issues down the line.

It’s important to be careful and use the throttle controls according to the eTrike’s capabilities. Some eTrikes might do well with throttle-only but others won’t give the best results.

So let’s learn about the differences between throttle and pedal assist to understand why you shouldn’t always ride the throttle.

Differences Between Pedal Assist and Throttle

Pedal assist and throttle are the only two ways an eTrike can provide electrical assistance to the rider. Although their primary goal is to power the motor and make things easier for the rider, they do this in two different ways.

How Pedal Assist Works

Pedal assist provides a more subtle and intuitive form of electrical assist. It uses sensors (including speed sensors, torque sensors or cadence sensors) to detect when the rider is pedaling and provides a small amount of electrical assistance.

With pedal assist, the rider barely has to control the amount of power they get from the electrical motor. The sensors do all the work in measuring the rider’s pedaling efforts. Meanwhile, the motor controller translates this to an appropriate amount of electrical assistance.

So the rider only has to switch to a pedal assist (PAS) level and keep on pedaling. The motor controller will determine how much power to feed the motor by calculating the pedaling efforts and the user-configured PAS level.

Pros of Using Pedal Assist

Provides a much more natural and intuitive-feeling electrical assistance. It feels more like riding an actual bicycle than getting pushed forward like a moped or scooter.
It’s a “set it and forget it” system. You switch to the pedal assist level you’re comfortable with, and just keep pedaling. You don’t have to worry about pedal assist after that.
Conserves battery life. The pedal assist system always optimizes the amount of power it delivers to the motor. It improves range and battery life compared to the throttle.
Subject to fewer legal restrictions. eTrikes with pedal assist are similar to push-bicycles. As a result, they don’t run into many legal restrictions as mopeds and scooters.
Improved safety in certain conditions. Since the sensors control the motor, it’s much safer to ride. Also, a pedal assist system can never overload the motor instantly, unlike a throttle. Hence, it minimizes accidents and prevents overheating.

Cons of Using Pedal Assist

You have to keep pedaling in order to receive electrical assistance.
You can’t control the motor directly. You miss out on having high acceleration when you need it.
It’s difficult to gain momentum from a complete stop or when trying to climb steep hills.
Difficult to use when riding offroad, especially for beginners and people with mobility issues.
Seniors and people with limited physical fitness can’t use it without getting tired.
Constantly changing the pedal assist levels can be difficult for beginners to get used to.
Includes more moving parts, (such as the sensors), which can complicate maintenance and repair.

How Throttle Control Works

With the throttle control, the rider is actively involved in controlling the amount of electrical assistance. The rider also has full access to the electrical motor so they decide how much power they want to get from the motor.

So with throttle controls enabled, the user can always push or pull on the throttle whenever they need. Depending on the throttle mechanism, this will activate the electric motor at full speed or on reduced power.

With a throttle, the responsibility of controlling the motor falls directly to the rider. They need to be mindful of the throttle every time they are riding.

When riding an eTrike with the throttle, it will feel more akin to driving a moped or scooter. You lose that natural feeling of riding a push bicycle and you always have to be careful when operating the throttle.

Advantages of Using Throttle Control

Provides instant power on demand. The throttle helps the rider control the motor directly without any limitations. As a result, they can easily accelerate from a complete stop without trying to pedal.
Gives out high acceleration power. Throttle control is better for gaining momentum from a traffic stop and going up steep hills. It’s also much more useful when riding offroad.
Riders don’t need to expend as much physical effort. The throttle control can make for a more relaxing and less physically taxing experience.
Seniors and anybody with limited mobility can use the throttle whenever they are tired or don’t feel like pedaling.
Minimizes Injuries. Unlike a pedal-assist system, there’s no pressure to keep pedaling. Riders can just use the throttle when they are too tired or suffering from any discomfort or injury.

Drawbacks of Using The Throttle

Less efficient and consumes more battery. A throttle doesn’t have any safeguards to limit the motor or control its efficiency. As a result, the throttle consumes more battery life and reduces the effective range of the battery.
Subject to stricter laws and regulations. eTrikes with throttle controls are almost classified as mopeds and scooters. As such, they have more stringent regulations.
Poses a Safety Issue. eTrikes with a throttle can get stuck or accidentally slip. As such, they have huge safety concerns since the eTrike can overload the motor and cause a crash.
Throttle systems can lead to high maintenance costs in the long run. Using the throttle constantly can overheat the motor and drain the batteries faster.
They can also wear down the groupset faster. Eventually, this can reduce the lifespan of the eTrikes components and they’ll need to be replaced or repaired sooner.
Feels more like driving a moped or scooter. The throttle controls will rob the rider’s experience of riding an actual eTrike. They’ll feel more disconnected from the eTrike, resulting in a less satisfying experience.

So as you can tell, there’s a lot of differences when comparing the throttle vs pedal assist. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about picking between the two anymore.

Nowadays, eTrike manufacturers like Addmotor, include both pedal assist and throttle controls. Riders have the flexibility to switch between the two and gain the best of both worlds.

So regardless of when and where they’re riding, you can easily adapt to the situation. If you want more acceleration, you can switch to the throttle and gain momentum.

Conversely, if you want to cruise along and get some exercise, you can switch to pedal assist and start breaking a sweat.

Wrapping Up

With modern eTrikes, it’s possible to keep riding without even touching the pedals. This is thanks to throttle controls that allow riders to control the eTrike like a moped or scooter.

That being said, using the throttle constantly can lead to certain complications. For starters, it can overheat the motor and drain the battery faster. This can lead to reduced lifespan and higher maintenance costs.

The best option is to use a mix of pedal assist and throttle controls. This allows the rider to use the throttle’s high-acceleration capabilities whenever they need it. Every other time, they can switch to pedal assist and conserve battery.

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