Eskateboarding is the future of your city’s streets
Why eskateboarding should be on your micromobility radar
What is an electric skateboard and how do they work?
Electric skateboards, also known as eboards and often written as esk8 [god, I feel old] are powered by an electric motor and typically controlled using a wireless hand-held remote controller that communicates via Bluetooth between the controller and the board.
There are also corresponding apps to track metrics such as distance traveled and battery life.
The remote control functionality removes the need to kick-push or use your foot on the ground to break. Instead, these boards use motion and weight sensors for acceleration and braking, and shifts in body weight to adjust the board’s speed.
What’s the speed and range like?
The first mainstream boards by Boosted Boards offered a 9.6km (6 mile) range at 32km (20 miles) per hour.
By comparison, today’s eskateboards typically offer a top speed of around 55 kmph (34 mph) with a range of anything between 20km and about 70km (44 miles). Some skaters will hack their boards to make them go faster.
Jed, a keen eskater and active community member in bringing people into the scene, shared this with me about the traveling on the electric boards::
Lots of current boards have haptics in the remote to vibrate when it turns on and off, or to warm of low voltage in the remote battery.
Charging a skateboard generally takes about 2 or 3 hours.
How the hell do I stop?
Unlike normal skateboarding you don’t need to put your foot down to cease moving. Instead, there are two kinds of braking – dynamic and regenerative:
However, the downside to the regenerative model is that because the brakes recharge the battery, a large hill can overcharge it. This can cause the device to turn off the braking function.
A few skateboards come with both regenerative and dynamic brakes installed in the same unit.
Confused?Here’sa great explainer of the science of braking in more detail.
Are electric skateboards legal? Where can I ride them?
Goverment representatives make many local decisions without involving the communities for which the laws represent — eskaters themselves.
There are no specific laws that either allow or limit eskateboard riding in many countries, which makes things confusing.
However, this doesn’t give you free reign as to whether you can ride on the sidewalk, in a bicycle lane, on the road or in public spaces like city squares and shopping center forecourts.
Laws are confusing and complex
Laws also relate to the speed of the eskateboard. For example, in France, you can ride skateboards on city roads where the speed limit is less or equal to 50kph, but not on roads in the countryside.
It’s legal to ride on bike paths and even on the sidewalk at a reduced speed (6kmph) in some French cities, but it depends on the local laws! However, the electric skateboard’s maximum speed should not exceed 25kmph (15mph), which is far slower than most electric skateboards.
Helpful resources
Piqued your interest in giving eskateboarding a try? Stay turned for more stories.
I’ll publish a corresponding article sharing the insights of all the awesome eskaters I interviewed in greater detail very soon.
I’ll also be following this article up with an interview with the organizers of a community-led campaign to change the laws – watch this space.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart ci(show all)Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart cities, and the future of alternative energy sources like electric batteries, solar, and hydrogen.
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