You may or may not know that electric skateboards have been around for a while, since a tinkerer had a harebrained idea to slap a lawnmower engine on a standard skateboards and head to the skate park. But they were noisy, unstable and far from eco- friendly. With the hand-held remote connected to the board via a cable they must have been fun but rather crude. Then along came an inventor with vision out in LA’s Venice Beach who took things a few stages further – so by the time we came across electric skateboards boards about 4 years ago we were instantly hooked because the components, power cells & hand held remote were reasonably manufactured; e-skateboards now had that kool factor and were starting to look the part.
Whilst riding about in the city we experienced the hype electric skateboards created with the public, we were always being stopped and questioned ÔÇ£Where can I get one of those?ÔÇØ But as good as those old boards were, they were unreliable, unresponsive and heavy. So we decided to take up the mantle of making the best electric skateboards ever! Field testing electric skateboards for endurance, distance and hill riding trials was great fun and weÔÇÖve worked closely with the best electric skateboard factories around to iron out those inherent problems.
We would ride the first generation electric skateboards around London streets carving over uneven pavements and potholed tarmac but the old printed circuit boards couldn’t take it and would fall apart due to the constant vibration. So off to the factory we would go and developed PCBs that were robust enough for the city roads – they could take vibration and knocks like when you want to show off, do a few tricks or just go down slight kerbs.
Battery Packs ÔÇô The Key To Awesome Electric Skateboards
We knew getting the right power cell for the electric skateboard’s battery pack would make all the difference. The right battery pack would make our boards light enough to be practical and powerful enough to get you about town.
Our first e-skateboards had 4 lead acid cells which were up to the job but boy that e-skateboard was heavy – carry that a few times & there was no need to go to the gym! We came up with better lead acid cells from 12v 7Ah to 12v 9Ah so battery packs could have 2 cells and 3 on the larger e-skateboards ÔÇô all supplied by battery experts Denka.
Old school lead acid never lets you down but we still wanted to offer a choice of a lighter power source. We dabbled briefly with nickel metal hydride and then found the best, lithium battery packs made at world famous Lockheed Martin where they make communication power cells for the MOD. These batteries were super light and powerful, pushing out high amps per hour with a longer charging life span.
But we still had to get better motors that didn’t burnout unexpectedly while we were carving along the streets. We found a selection of superior motor to suit most applications – 150w, 400w 600w & 800w motors are great for most applications and demographics, whether you want to cruise or rip along at 30mph like me.
Even the wheels needed improving the original PU compound wheel never lasted – a few wheel spins, hard braking and the drive-wheel would be shot. Plus it would cost ?ú25 to replace the most important wheel on the board after a few flash tricks, so we came up with a tough rubber compound that lasts 20 times longer. These were also interchangeable so eventually they could all become drive-wheels – that’s 80 drives-wheels that wouldn’t have to be purchased, what a saving!
We finish off each electric skateboard with clever practical solutions like a quick release battery packs, carry handles, alloy wheels, chrome trim and stylish branding. YouÔÇÖve got to agree – motorised skateboards have come a long way from a petrol lawnmower engine, 4 wheels and a thin bit of wood! E-skateboards are now a fantastic alternative eco-friendly transport for today and tomorrow.
