NIU KQi3 Pro electric scooter - charging port cover replacement

About two months ago during NIU's July 4th holiday sale, I was lucky enough to snag a NIU KQI3 Pro electric scooter for the relatively low sale price of $599 USD. With a 20 mph top speed and a ~30-mile range, I've been pretty happy with it so far in terms of both general build quality and performance, especially after previously owning a Segway-Ninebot F30 that was a bit on the slow side. In particular, the folding mechanism and the high-powered headlight on the NIU are major improvements over my old Ninebot, which I've since sold.

Accolades aside, even the greatest products aren't perfect. After a few days of riding the NIU KQi3 Pro around town, I discovered that the charging port cover (located on the rear right side of the chassis) had snapped off, leaving the charging port fully exposed to the elements. Not as big of a deal during completely dry weather, but obviously problematic in any sort of wet or muddy conditions. Thankfully, the fix wasn't too complicated.

Contact NIU service

In the United States, you'll need to contact NIU's repair/RMA service, run by the company Besender. Follow the instructions (you'll have to upload a couple of pictures of the broken charging port cover). Make sure you that specifically request a replacement charging port cover. After filling out this form, I received a USPS notification and got a small package with the replacement charging port cover in two days. They do use priority shipping, which is nice.

Remove the new charging port cover

This is a fairly straightforward process - you just need the correct tools.

• 2.5 mm Allen hex key/wrench
• Phillips #1 screwdriver

First, use the Allen key to remove the two outer screws.

The charging port itself is secured to the charging port cover by two Phillips screws. Unscrew these and the charging port should be free of the charging port cover. However, you won't be able to remove the cover until you (carefully) undo the tiny black clip at the rear. Once undone, you should be able to completely remove the old, damaged charging port cover.

Install the new charging port cover

Essentially, do the above in reverse. Secure the external interface of the charging port to the charging port cover with the Phillips screws, then reconnect the tiny rear black clip (you should feel a tactile click indicating that's it's securely reconnected.) Refasten the two outer Allen hex screws, ensure that charging still works, and that's it!