Most of the electric skateboards have 24 or 36 Volts. Averaging from 250 to 1500 peak watts.
To pick out just the right board getting the right amperage, voltage, and wattage is something to consider. About half the people want brushless and the other half want brushed, just depends on the usage. Brushless has a much longer and more efficient and the battery lasts way longer. The brushed models, like the Eglide and Gnar board work much differently and are the most expensive on the market.
The battery is the most expensive part of the board. If it has a battery the quality of MaxAmps, it will cost a lot. The motors are not that expensive unless it goes over 800 watts. A good board around 800 watts, 36 volts should cost over 1000 as long as the components are high quality. (this is constant watts, not peak). If an import with the same power, it would raise a red flag with me if it costs under that. A 1500 peak watt motor with high voltage and amperage can cost over 1500 dollars.
A battery that is of the quality like Maxamps costs about 2 to 3 times as much as any other battery. I've always had problems with the power of cheap batteries that have the same power rating.
See my battery review page.
Electric skateboards with a low voltage battery will usually need a kick start to get it going so the motor doesn't heat up and the belts don't get screwed up over time.
Having too much voltage in the board can be bad just like having too little voltage. It can causee motor to have pre mature motor failure. Also, cheaper batteries can have voltage imbalances often sooner than later. This imbalanced voltage can cause the motor to fail prematurely also.
On the lower voltage (24 vs 36 volts) the energy drain from the battery must increase so that the motor is supplied the same power to move the person. If the person is too heavy for the power going into it the increased current can exceed the rating of the motor. A 250 watt motor is lighter and easier to carry but if not taken care of can break quicker when heat builds up, in the motor. Heat is the one thing that damages electric skateboard motors more than anything. Just one time wont hurt it but each time adds another exposure and the coper or aluminum windings oxidize or burn out just that much quicker.
Low voltage boards if pulling to much from the battery can cause overheating, a short motor life, and most obvious, a slow acceleration as the motor weakens. The torque can get so weak I will want to get a new board.
High grade motors will tolerate more unbalanced voltage than the lower powered, lower grade engineered motors. This causes the amperage to rise up and the heating of the motor starts.
Many people hot wire their motor so it can go faster. Most people don't know that the boards that go over 20 mph really can go 30 to 40 mph but they fix them so they don't go over the street legal limits. This voids the warranty if the speed controller is tampered with but many people don't listen and hotwire their board anyway. Making your board go as fast as a Gnar board (28 MPH in only 1.9 seconds) is not recommended. The Gnar board also weighs 86 lbs.
Amperage is just as important to consider as voltage. Study my amperage page to become more educated. See my amperage page here.
