What is e-skate ?
An e-skate (or electric skate), also written e-sk8, is a skateboard with an electric motor.
Driving an e-skate is similar to a standard skateboard: you tilt the board to make it turn. However the skate is powered by an electric motor.
A remote control is used to manage throttle and brake.
Choose your skate
Depending if you want to use your skate off-road or on road, two types of electric skates are available:
- allroad version (mountainboard)
- street version (skateboard, longboard)
Allroad version is a cross-country skateboard which is robust and can drive on any surface. Nevertheless allroad is heavier than street version.
If you want to drive on road, then choose a street version: it will be more precise, more manoeuvrable and lighter.
Choose a well-known brand is important to have a good quality e-skate and to be able to find spare parts easily.
At the bottom of this page, in the link section, you can see brands available in Europe.
Remote control
An e-skate has a wireless 2.4GHz remote control.
The remote control allows to manage two functions: throttle and brake. Some skates have a reverse gear.
Before use, the remote control must be paired with the skate. The remote control range is a few meters.
Transmission
E-skates use one the two following transmission types:
- belt or chain drive
- hub motor drive (motor is integrated into the wheel)
Belt drive and chain drive have a strong torque.
The chain drive is more robust, but it needs maintenance (tension, oil) and is noisier.
The hub motor gives a very soft free wheel that is very appreciated when you have to push the skateboard.
E-skates can have 1, 2 or even 4 wheel drive.
Motor
Motor is an important part of e-skate: power and time of use of the skate depend on motor quality.
Two technologies are available:
- brushless motor
- brushed motor
Brushless motor has better performance than brushed motor and gives power, high torque, low consumption, and silent running. Also brushless motor needs no maintenance and has a long lifetime.
Battery
Battery also is an very important part of e-skate. The quality of battery has an influence on performance, power and battery range.
Two battery types can be used:
- LiFePO4 Lithium battery
- SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) battery
LiFePO4 Lithium battery is the latest battery technology and has more power, longer life, and is lighter than SLA battery.
But lithium batteries are more expensive than SLA batteries.
Wearing protective gear
Some electric skateboards can drive to 40 kph (25 mph), you need to wear protective gear:
- helmet
- elbow pads
- knee pads
- wrist savers
- protective shorts