How far can different electric skateboard models go on a full charge? - Ecomobl Electric Skateboards USA

This is one of the most important questions when we want to decide which e-board we want to buy. For daily commutes or long trips, the range of an electric skateboard is crucial. So, how far can an electric skateboard go?

Depending on the model, electric skateboards can go up to 12-20 miles on average without charging. High models can go up to 50 miles. However, these advertised range claims are stated by the manufacturers and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the e-boards will last that many miles. The range of electric skateboards is determined by a lot of factors. The most important one is the battery size. Factors that impact the range also are: driver’s weight, average speed, uphills and downhills, the motor power, wheel size, wind, and outside temperature.

Which electric skateboards have the longest range? What determines an eboards range? Can I increase the range of my board, if yes, how? Let´s dive into this topic! At the end of this blog post, I will give you 4 tips for increasing the range of your eboard.

How far can different electric skateboard models go on a full charge?

I did some research regarding the most popular and in my opinion the best electric skateboards and created a table with e- board type, their battery size and advertised range in miles and kilometres stated. If you miss an e-board or believe that I should add other boards a well, please let me know in the comment section below.

Some eboard companies try to hide the real size of the battery and therefore just display a range or the battery size with ampere-hours or voltage numbers on their website. I did some research and calculated the real battery size in Watt-hours (Wh) and have put it in the table above. This took me quite some time. The battery size of eboards varies from around 100 to 2000 Wh. 

Motor Type and Power

Obviously, the motor type and motor power output are crucial factors on electric skateboard range as well. We can distinguish between a single, dual, and Quattro motor setups. The more motors you got and the more powerful the motor is the faster it drains the battery. So a powerful motor provides your electric skateboard wich speed and it may be exciting to ride but also limits the range. Apart from that, the age of motor also plays a part when it comes to the range. An inefficient motor that wastes energy with friction or other malfunctions will decrease the range significantly

Weight

Weight is another obvious factor in determining the range of an electric skateboard. The more weight the motor has to carry the more power and electric juice it needs which results in less range. First, you have to get an idea of your future eSk8 project’s energy efficiency based on your rider weight. A good rule of thumb is that for every 30 pounds of rider weight, your battery will need approximately 4 Watt hours per mile. This means that with 150 pounds of rider weight, your battery will need roughly 16Wh of power to go one mile. With 180 pounds, your battery will need 20Wh to travel one mile and so on. This works for all weights, so keep the final rider weight in mind with this equation. All-Terrain electric skateboard wheels will need more power due to the increased friction of the wheels and overall heavier weight of the board. That is also accounted for in the table below.

Our Graphic and Table will give you a rough estimate of your Watt hour per Mile (Wh/mi).

Rider Weight in Watt Hours Per Mile

Now that you have a rough idea of what your battery efficiency number is, you need to divide the battery capacity number (Wh) by the battery efficiency number (Wh/mi) to get a rough range estimate for the final rider’s weight.

Suppose you have a board with a 432 Wh battery, you weigh 180 lbs and riding a board with street wheels, according to the data, the efficiency for you would be about 20 Wh/mile.

432 ÷ 20 = 21.6 miles
That board should be able to carry you about 21.6 miles.

Now let’s go a little heavier and suppose you weigh 270 lbs and you are riding an All Terrain electric skateboard. The board’s efficiency is now 49 Wh/mile according to the chart. You have decided you want to ride with a 345.6 Wh battery.

345.6 ÷ 49 = 7.05 miles
This all terrain board now carries this rider about 7 miles.

If you refer to the spec sheets on any battery manufacturer’s website, you should be able to now roughly calculate your own individual range before you make your purchase.

These are rough estimates ONLY! The chart assumes the following conditions: smooth road, no inclines, mild acceleration, mild weather, about 19 mph speed, and a standing pose. A change in any of those conditions can greatly affect the range. Don’t expect the estimate to be very accurate! It is meant to be a convenient way to help you estimate range of a chosen battery based solely on your weight and battery specifications before you make an initial purchase. Many real world variables influence the actual range of an electric skateboard.

Wheels

Wheels and wheel size also interfere with eboard range. With big wheels, you have higher top speed, but accelerate worse than with small wheels. Off-road or all-terrain wheels result in more drag on pavement so they have less range too. Companies and experienced riders say that the range reduction when using off-road wheels is from ⅓ to ¼, so the drop in range is quite significant. If you got off road wheels be sure to inflate them properly because under-inflated tires will decrease range.

• Bigger wheels have a higher top speed but slower acceleration and less torque
• Smaller wheels have a lower top speed but faster acceleration and torque.
• Off-Road wheels will add comfort but also have less top speed and decrease range significantly cause its drag

Age of battery

The older the battery the worse the battery storage capacity. If the board and battery are maintained properly then a Li-Ion Battery (Standard Battery) will last for 300-1000 charge cycles before reaching 80% of it’s capacity (the international standard to rating cycle life). That means if you use your electric skateboard daily the battery will last for about 1-3 years.

Advertised vs real range of Electric Skateboards

Inside the table, at the beginning of the blog post, you can see the advertised ranges stated by the manufacturing companies. But are these advertised ranges correct? In many real-life tests, riders have reported that the advertised range isn’t really genuine. In fact, sometimes they are downright exaggerated, and may even be three times higher than the reality. There is NO standard to control manufacturers, so it’s pretty much still the Wild West when it comes to range claims.

When you think about it, it is impossible for electric skateboard range statements to be completely accurate. There are too many factors which make it differ from person to person. These include:

• The rider’s weight
• What terrain they’re cycling over
• Riding habits
• Wind conditions
• Outside temperature

Eskate range factors – which are dependent on you

Total payload – the weight of you plus protection gear

One of the most important factors when it comes to electric skateboard range is the weight that your electric skateboard has to carry. In other words the total payload. That means the weight of the rider plus protection gear. The board may weigh 15 to 28 pounds (6,8 to 12,8 kg), but you are sure to weigh a lot more than that. So your own load is the most important weight variable. The slimmer the rider is, the longer the journey will be.

Riding Habits

With adequate riding habits, you can save a lot of power. What does an adequate riding habit mean?

Range increasing and power saving riding habits:

• Try to avoid a lot of stop and Gos
• Try to accelerate smoothly
• Try to avoid hill starts, these will drain a lot of power
• Kick-push the board to support the acceleration (especially when starting)
• Ride with low speeds

Average speed

The faster you go the faster you drain the battery. That is because air resistance raises with to the second power. If you want to have a long-range you should drive conservatively at slow speed.

Other Factors eskate Range determining factors

Location – Terrain

If you have to climb a lot of hills it will decrease your range obviously as well. The conditions of the terrain will heavily dictate how much work any vehicle has to do to move from one point to the other. Riding your board on a sleek, asphalt road will put it through less pressure than driving it on sand or dirt.

Most of the advertised ranges are tested in a flat environment. Don’t expect that the range will be the same in hilly and mountainous areas.

Wind

The wind is another circumstance which interacts with electric skateboard range. A strong wind will obviously decrease your range if you have to drive against it and increase if you drive with the wind.

Outside temperature

The temperature has an impact on battery capacity. Lithium-ion batteries like warm more than cold temperatures. If you live where it is seasonal then expect that your electric skateboard has a shorter range in the wintertime. E-boards will get about 15% less range from a battery in winter than on a warm sunny day.

Electric skateboards with the longest range

A very desirable feature when buying an e-board is obviously a long range.

In the table at the beginning, I only have chosen electric skateboards which proofed to be reliable, perform well and are all in all recommendable. I am aware that there are a ton of other e-boards on the market as well. If you miss e-boards or believe that I should add other models a well, please let me know in the comment section below.

The electric skateboards with longest range are :

• Lacroix Nazaré Lonestar
• Kaly NYC XL50+
• Bioboard Thorium X
• Bajaboard S2
• Verreal RS
• MetroboardX
• WowGo AT2

How can you increase the range of your eskate? 5 tips

• Support your board with kick-pushing when accelerating
• Buy a second charger for your workplace and girlfriends place as well
• Don’t drive at full speed
• Take an extra battery or massive power bank with you
• Replace an old battery