Belt- vs. Hub-driven Electric Skateboards

Discussion Belt- vs. Hub-driven Electric Skateboards

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  • #457 Reply
    Admin
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    There has been a lot written and said about hub- vs. belt driven skateboards – with which I don´t want to bore you.

    Let me just wrap up the “must-know”-stuff:

    First of all to get the wording straight: Both hub and belt driven skateboards rely on brushless electrical motors. Typically these motors are either directly part of the wheel (“hub”-driven) or placed underneath the skateboard deck with a belt that connects the motor to the wheels (“belt”-driven). There are some exceptions (hybrids) like “geared hub” which I do not consider here for simplicity.

    At the beginning, ALL electric skateboards were belt-driven. The first electric skateboards with hub motors entered the market in early 2016. Since then, hub-technology has advanced but still the belt-driven systems seem to be more mature.

    If you consider buying an electric skateboard TODAY, I`d consider the following pros and cons of hub-driven boards:

    Pros

    + looks pretty much like a regular skateboard
    + not easily brakeable
    + less prone to wear out (critical parts are better covered)
    + often fully water resistant
    + skateable like a regular board when battery is empty
    + slightly higher efficiency esp. when it comes to braking


    Cons

    - rather young and therefore less perfect technology
    - typically slower acceleration (no gearing)
    - cannot easily change wheels for fun
    - tendency for a harder ride (simply missing some suspension from a full wheel)
    - prone to heating or other failures (motor slipping inside the wheel)
    - noise can be an issue


    There are exceptions and the pros & cons actually depend very much on the specific board.

    So, before actually buying a hub-driven electric skateboard I recommend to do some further research.

    • This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by George.
    • This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by George.
    • This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by George.
    • This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by George.
    • This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by George.
    #748 Reply
    Sam
    Guest
    #751 Reply
    George
    Keymaster

    yep, agree, comparison table is quite nice

    #825 Reply
    nehvey
    Guest

    I would also include direct drive into comparison. I think it’s the best of 2 worlds: https://youtu.be/b0w6h26HBBw

    #826 Reply
    George
    Keymaster

    Yes, I have this as a seperate category in my list. However the only company currently offering this Jed Boards and I have actually not tested a board with direct drive, so cannot say much about it.

    #1726 Reply
    ridefaboard
    Guest

    yep, agree! There are exceptions and the pros & cons actually depend very much on the specific board.
    https://www.ridefaboard.com/

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