how to convert a bird scooter

A few months ago, several companies started deploying electric scooters on the sidewalks of cities around the United States. These scooters were standard, off-the-shelf electric scooters made in China, loaded up with battery packs, motors, and a brain box that has a GPS unit, a cellular modem, and a few more electronics that turn this dumb electric scooter into something you can ride via an app. Dropping electronic waste on cities around the country was not looked upon kindly by these municipalities, and right now there are hundreds of Bird and Lime scooters in towing yards, just waiting to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

This is a remarkable opportunity for anyone who can turn a screwdriver and handle a soldering iron. For mere pennies on the dollar you can buy dozens of these scooters, and you can own thousands of dollars in batteries and electronics if you show up to the right auction. [humanbeing21] over on the scootertalk forums is preparing for the Bird apocalypse, and hes already converted a few of these scooters to be his personal transportation device.

The subject of this conversion are scooters deployed by Bird, which are in actuality Xiaomi MIJIA M365 scooters with a few added electronics to connect to the Internet. The conversion kit for a Bird scooter comes directly from China, costs $30, and is apparently a plug-and-play sort of deal. The hardest part is finding a screwdriver with the right security bits, but that again is a problem eBay is more than willing to solve.

Right now, [humanbeing21] is in contact with a towing company that has well over a hundred Bird scooters on their lot, each accruing daily storage fees. Since these scooters only cost about $400 new, were probably well past the time when it makes sense for Bird to pay to get them out of storage. This means theyll probably be heading for an auction where anyone can pick them up all of them for a hundred bucks or so.

Right now, scooter hacking is becoming one of the most interesting adventures in modern-day hacking. Youve got batteries and electronics and motors just sitting there, ready for the taking (and yes, through these auctions you can do this legally). Were looking at a future filled with 18650-based Powerwalls from discarded electric scooters and quadcopters built around scooter motors filling the skies. This is cyberpunk, and we cant wait to see the other builds these scooters will become.

There are currently more than a hundred Bird scooters on the lot of the towing company [humanbeing21] is in contact with, and each one is accumulating daily storage fees. We’re probably well past the point where it makes sense for Bird to pay to have these scooters taken out of storage, as they only cost roughly $400 new. This indicates that they will most likely be going to an auction where anyone can buy them all for about $100.

The scooters that Bird is using are the focus of this conversion; they are actually Xiaomi MIJIA M365 scooters with a few extra electronics to connect to the Internet. The $30 “conversion kit” for a Bird scooter is directly imported from China and appears to be a plug-and-play device. The most challenging aspect is locating a screwdriver with the appropriate security bits, but eBay is more than happy to assist with that as well.

Scooter hacking is currently one of the most fascinating hacking endeavors available today. Batteries, electronics, and motors are all right there in front of you, waiting to be taken (and yes, you can legally do this through these auctions). We envision a world where abandoned electric scooters will be converted into 18650-based Powerwalls, and quadcopters powered by scooter motors will take to the skies. This is cyberpunk, and we’re excited to see what else these scooters can be developed into.

A few months ago, a number of businesses began placing electric scooters on American city sidewalks. These were normal, off-the-shelf electric scooters manufactured in China. They were equipped with motors, battery packs, and a “brain box” that contained a GPS unit, a cellular modem, and a few other electronics that allowed you to ride the scooter using an app. Hundreds of Bird and Lime scooters are currently in towing yards, ready to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Dropping electronic waste on cities across the nation was not well received by these municipalities.

There was a lot of interest in the street value of the parts that made up each of these VC-backed ewaste-in-waiting devices as well as methods for hotwiring them when scooter companies like Bird began deploying their devices illegally in city streets.

Now, with hundreds of these scooters abandoned and rotting in impound lots, likely never to be recovered, maybe now is a good time to invest in a $30 scooter “conversion kit”, which ships direct from China, and plugs-and-plays to convert one of these scooters to a “personal scooter,” with all recovery and payment components permanently disabled.

FAQ

Can you make a Bird scooter go faster?

To change to the faster speeds you can double-tap the power button, which will first go to the medium speed setting of Glide with the orange “S” and then on the second time you double-tap it will go into the fastest speed setting of Fly, which will show the red “S”.

How much does Bird pay for a scooter?

The pay per scooter varies based on when the scooter becomes available for a charge and how long its been since its last charge. Bird has a range of $3 to $20 per scooter, while Lime usually starts out with a base rate of $5 per scooter, with little fluctuation in payment from there.

What is the lifespan of a Bird scooter?

Using that data, Quartz determined the average lifespan of a Bird scooter in Louisville to be 28.8 days, or just shy of a month. To state the obvious, that’s not very long.