Why are electric skateboards so expensive?
That was the question I asked myself, as I was looking through forums and reading reviews, searching for an affordable electric skateboard that wasn’t junk. Electric skateboards cost an absurd amount of money. An amount that I simply wasn’t willing to spend easily.
My name is David Nicula, and back in 2016 I wanted to buy an electric skateboard to ride through downtown Portland from my apartment to my office, about 18 blocks away. I usually left my car at home as the short driving distance didn’t make sense. Uber’s get expensive. I didn’t like having to store a bike, and the electric Lime scooters dotting the streets get expensive after a few trips. Being a skater back in school, I really wanted an electric skateboard. But they were just so expensive.
So I thought to myself, There has to be something out there that’s affordable yet still quality, right? After a few more days of searching, I still had not found much. It seemed I had to spend quite a bit to own an electric skateboard from a reputable brand.
And then I had an idea. I went and I did some research to find out exactly where and how electric skateboards were manufactured. The big brands like Boosted Boards had their own factory. But many of the smaller electric skateboard companies relied on large manufacturers to construct, test, and deliver their product. After some digging around, I was able to find out who a couple of these manufacturers were. And I contacted them. I just wanted an affordable, yet powerful electric skateboard. And I was hoping that by going to the source, I might be able to find exactly that.
After several e-mails with a company that produced everything from electric scooters to bikes, they agreed they could build me an electric skateboard with off-the-shelf parts, that were already used on their assembly lines. And best of all? They could build it affordably.
Or so I thought. The catch was that I needed to order a minimum amount of product to make it worth their time to manufacture. And that minimum amount was an order of 100 electric boards.
I didn’t even bother to email them back, as that was not something I was about to do. I just wanted an electric board for myself. But fast forward several weeks later, and the manufacturer contacted me asking if I was still thinking about placing an order for my custom electric skateboard. I simply told them I was not looking at ordering that many electric skateboards, and that I just wanted to purchase a board for my own use. They replied back and surprisingly, offered to build me a board that I could purchase as a “sample order”. They explained that if I placed an order as a “sample order”, they’d build the board for me just at a slightly higher cost. It was still cheaper than anything else available on the market, so ecstatically I agreed.
Six weeks later, my custom built electric skateboard arrived at my doorstep. I took it out and immediately put it on the charger. Three hours later, I was riding around my neighborhood block. Since I hadn’t skated in quite a few years, it took me awhile to get used to my new board. But after about an hour I was flying around the block. The controller was simple, with a trigger that accelerated when you pressed forward and applied the brake when pulled back. There was a “high” and “low” power mode, which allowed me easily get used to the board and learn to ride again.
The next morning, I rode my custom built electric skateboard the 18 blocks to work with a giant smile on my face. I could zip past cars, bikes, and pedestrians. I could easily slow down when needed, and accelerate quickly to dart through intersections. I could also cruise comfortably with just a light press of the trigger. I was still a little wobbly, but that only made it more fun.
I was immensely excited. My dream of acquiring an awesome yet affordable transportation vehicle came true. And all I had to do was send a few well-worded emails, transfer some money to a manufacturer I had never heard of, and wait a few weeks for my product. But for me, it was well worth the risk.
That is, until a month later when I was riding and my board unexpectedly shut off. I carried it the rest of the way home and placed it on the charger to charge through the night, but the next day it would still not turn on. Frustrated, I emailed the company to express my issues. Quite surprisingly, they immediately wrote back and explained to me that their electronic control units had been having issues. Two weeks later, I had another brand new board at my doorstep, built exactly as the first one but with an updated electronic control unit. I was very impressed with their level of customer service. I had never dealt with a company that was so willing to solve my issues and make things right like this manufacturer was.
As I got back to riding my daily route, I often had people ask me about my board. A lot of people had never seen an electric skateboard before, and many of them asked where they could purchase one.
And that’s when I thought about it.What if I could bring these electric skateboards to market?I would sell them at an affordable price, as that was the #1 reason I went on this journey to begin with. And I would provide the best customer service possible, just as my manufacturer did for me.
Well that’s how Electric Board Co. came to be. I still use the same, awesome manufacturer that so graciously replaced my original faulty board. And since I purchase our electric skateboards in bulk, I can get them down to a very low price per board. And I pass that low price down to all of my customers. So you can purchase the same, awesome, affordable electric skateboard that I so desperately wanted.
We currently offer two models, an affordable single motor for shorter rides that I’ve named theJuiced Cruiser. This is the board that I had first purchased for my personal use, to satisfy my craving for an electric skateboard without breaking the bank. Shortly after we introduced the V1, we heard from several of our customers that they wanted more power and speed in their electric skateboard. We looked at the V1 board and added an extra motor and increased the battery size. We also replace the deck with one that is wider for more stability, yet just as short as the original. We then introducedJuiced Cruiser Dual+. Dual motors and a stronger battery enable higher speeds, more range, and more fun while still being an affordable electric skateboard.
The Juiced Cruiser is powered by a single 250W motor, and power is provided by a 2.2aH battery. It lets you cruise at a calm 12 mph for up to 5 miles, a perfect transportation vehicle for short trips and easy rides. Priced at an affordable $250.
The Juiced Cruiser Dual+ was built for those that desired a little more power and range from the original board. I went back to my manufacturer and asked them to increase the size of the motor to 350W, and also add an additional motor. Battery size was also increased to 2.5aH to handle the higher powered motors. The result is an electric skateboard that can reach speeds of 18MPH, with a much longer 8-10 miles of range. The perfect transportation vehicle for those that want more power, speed, and range. And more also fun.
We made electric transportation easy, and affordable. That’s our motto, and we plan on sticking to it for as long as we are in business. Take a ride on either of our electric skateboards, 100% risk free. If you buy one of our boards and are not happy with how it rides, just send it back and we’ll issue you a full refund. Just take a couple of minutes and read more about our 100% Risk Free Riding Promise, and see how we’re committed to making sure you're happy with our product, no exceptions.