Electric Skateboard, Hoverboard, Segway vs the Electric Unicycle eWheel?

In the past couple years, the quiet revolution of Personal Transport products has been transforming the way people get around, with predictions of enormous growth in the years ahead.

In 2015, we witnessed the short-lived ‘Hoverboard’ craze grip the public imagination, with its demise following nearly as quickly, when it’s limitations & low-grade components gained an incendiary reputation when they catastrophically failed. An important question to anyone pondering what to buy is, what technologies will stand the test of time & which will struggle to survive on account of inherent problems with the technology?

This above illustration above shows the comparative Wheel diameters of an Electric Skateboard, ‘Hoverboard’, & an Electric Unicycle. Why does this matter?

1. The Wheel size is vital for its ability to be able to negotiate different types of road surfaces/terrain.
2. Power of most Electric Motors is approximate to the size (diameter) of the motor.
3. Smaller Wheels have less ground clearance.
4. Mechanical stresses (for components like bearings) are greater, because the load is more concentrated.
5. With the Wheels closer to the ground, there is increased probability of dirt, grit or other foreign contaminants causing damage to the motor.

For many buyers, one of the great appeals of a single-Wheel Electric Unicycle, is the ‘go anywhere’ possibilities. Both Hoverboards & Electric Skateboards must be used on nearly perfectly smooth paved surfaces, which are not all that plentiful in the real world. The versatility of an Electric Wheel, means it can be driven on grass, pavement, roads, bicycle trails, or just about anywhere.

No other personal transport product offers the same compact footprint as an Electric Wheel. Most Wheels are small enough to fit within a standard gym locker, the same cannot be said of other personal transport products.

In a series of upcoming blog articles we will be exploring the comparative advantages of an Electric Unicycle in more detail.