Discussion › Belt- vs. Hub-driven Electric Skateboards
- This topic has 5 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 2 days, 13 hours ago by Brentpax.
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AdminGuest
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.
SamGuestNice page comparing the drives: https://www.electricboarder.com/electric-skateboard/diy/beltvshubdrive
GeorgeKeymasteryep, agree, comparison table is quite nice
nehveyGuestI would also include direct drive into comparison. I think it’s the best of 2 worlds: https://youtu.be/b0w6h26HBBw
GeorgeKeymasterYes, 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.
ridefaboardGuestyep, agree! There are exceptions and the pros & cons actually depend very much on the specific board.
https://www.ridefaboard.com/ -
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