Electric skateboard could revolutionize… uh, OK, it’s probably not going to revolutionize anything, but it’s fun
What is it?
The Maverix USA Cruiser is a 600-watt electric skateboard controlled via wireless link with a throttle you hold in your hand just like a slot car. The difference is that instead of watching the slot car buzz around the track and imagining what it would be like to fit inside, you are on the skateboard experiencing everything in real time, weaving in and out among pedestrians on the bike path at the beach or dodging traffic on your way to work.
Our Cruiser model weighed 44 pounds and was almost four feet long.
What’s it like to ride?
There are three settings for the throttle, from beginner to expert. Of course, we put it on expert. Pull the throttle back and off you go. But brace yourself, acceleration in this setting is brisk. Maximum speed is 15.5 mph according to Maverix and 600 watts converts to 0.8 hp. It’s like a go kart! We were able to recharge it from near-empty to full in only a few hours — you could easily do it under your desk after you ride in to work in the morning and be ready to ride it again to lunch.
The question of range, as with all electric vehicles, depends on how you drive or ride. We took it to the perfectly flat bike path in Santa Monica right along the beach. Riding it downhill to the beach, we found that by pushing the throttle forward in the braking position we could apply the brakes via the electric motor, thus creeping down the hill among and at the same speed as the pedestrians without getting in anyone’s way. That was pretty cool and not anything you could do on a “normal” skateboard. Then, down on the flats, we headed off along the bike path. We went slowly near the populated pier but then went full throttle when everything cleared up. We estimated top speed at 15 mph, which about covers Maverix’ claim of 25 km/h, or 15.5. On that largely full-throttle ride we later calculated range from the sealed lead acid battery at six miles. Had we gone slower and weighed less we could have gone a lot farther. How much farther? Maybe 10 miles? Who knows?
Almost everyone we met with a skateboard was shorter and lighter than us, so maybe the average skateboard buyer will get better range, maybe 50 percent better. Nonetheless, 6 miles could be your limit for skateboard commuting. There is a lithium-ion battery available as an option but we don’t know how far that’ll go (based on our experiences with electric cars we’d say three times as far at least, but that’s just a wild guess). Maybe if you lived in New York you could commute on it, but we can’t imagine making it very far without causing pedestrians to gang up and “convince” you to stay off the sidewalk. And skateboards aren’t usually legally allowed to ride on the street. Regardless, a little creativity will show the craft’s value as a commuter.
The Cruiser is definitely a fun toy, though. We weaved through the center divider stripes painted on the bike path and had a blast. Faster and faster we went until a patch of blown sand introduced us to the laws of physics and… we still have the scrapes to show for it. On some other rides around home, including cruising around our local big, flat school playground, Maverix Cruiser proved to be a fun toy.
Two out of three thumbs up from real live skateboarders!
Do I want it?
There are drawbacks, some of which might be deal killers for you. The Cruiser weighs 44 pounds, according to the manufacturer. That’s a lot more than your regular, non-electric skateboard. At 45 and a half inches long, just shy of 4 feet, it gets cumbersome. Getting onto and off a bus, for instance, might be awkward. Loading it into the trunk of a car is not for the faint of back. The length also prohibits stuffing it into some car trunks. We had to fold down the rear seats of our Camaro to get it in. And then there’s the noise. It sounds like a little remote-controlled air raid siren when taking off. At first we thought this was an audible warning to other traffic to get out of the way. But no, Maverix said, “The unit does have a humming noise when in operation as the belt-driven gears move at a high speed and high pitch.” The noise only goes away at full throttle.
There are other Maverix electric boards that have less power but weigh less, all the way down to the 150-watt California board. Our test-board retails for $ 649 through Maverix, but Amazon has it for a lot less. There are also other electric board makers with seemingly better-sounding specs, but we have not tried them out.
If you’re familiar with skateboarding, perhaps from your errant youth, you might be surprised by how fun, and easy, an electric board can be.
