With the end of the year fast approaching, we tend to look back to see just how far we have come.
A lot has happened in the eskate world over the last year, in fact, the evolution of eskating as a whole has been quite a significant journey.
But this new year will bring new opportunities and incredible innovations which means exciting new products!
So, what trends do we expect to see for electric skateboards in 2020?
Let’s take a quick look at what we think might happen.
Traditional Skate Companies Moving Into eBoards
This is probably one of the biggest factors that will contribute to propelling electric skateboarding into the mainstream. Traditional skate companies are already well established in the market with lots of followers and big marketing budgets which means they can quickly get their message out to a lot of people.
They also already have expertise in half of what it takes to make a good electric skateboard. All they need to do is attach some motors, a battery and remote control (or maybe no remote, hint hint) to their already quality decks and they have a brand new product.
We’re already starting to see some traditional skate brands dipping their toe in the eskate world by partnering with eskate brands to develop new electric skateboards.
And these traditional skate brands aren’t just small-timers. We’re seeing some of the biggest and most trusted names in skate venture into the land of electricity.
They have proved to the industry and other skate companies that you can offer both electric skateboard products alongside traditional skate gear without losing your reputation.
Expect to see a lot more traditional skate brands bringing out their own lines of electric skateboards. Some of them will continue to partner with eskate brands, but there is a good chance that a few will develop their own.
Keep your eyes peeled for more skate companies electrifying their rides.
AI and Smart Electric Skateboards
While traditional skate companies play catch up to the constantly evolving electric skateboard world, eskate brands are looking to innovate faster than ever to try and differentiate themselves from each other.
Everything else around us is starting to go ‘smart’ with Artificial Intelligence-powered technology. It’s only fitting that this futuristic sport starts heading that way too.
One of the most fascinating areas of development of electric skateboards is AI-powered drive systems.
Think of the Hoverboard. When riding one of them, all you need to do is lean forward and you’ll accelerate. Then, lean back when you want to brake. It’s a pretty crazy feeling. You really feel like you’re in the future.
Hoverboards use a touch sensing system to control the movement of the board which is great for its application, but when it comes to electric skateboards, a more reliable system is necessary.
For example, the WoBoard Mini AI uses a sensor drive system that is a lot more interactive, responsive and naturally-feeling to the rider.
This technology is amazing and is developing and improving every single day This is the year that the AI-powered eboards really take off!
But that’s just the beginning.
Imagine an electric skateboard with a GPS function on the remote! One that can get you to where you need to go while avoiding main roads and sticking to smooth bike paths.
Or what about an eboard that can diagnose it’s only problems before it causes irreparable damage to the electrics? That would be handy.
Maybe we’ll start seeing more eboards with built-in lights. That turn on by themselves when it starts to get dark. Or with indicators that you can activate with the remote.
Who knows, it’s all just speculation at the moment.
Electric Skateboard Retailers
Keeping to the subject of traditional avenues evolving, we’re going to start seeing brick and mortar stores dedicated to electric skateboarding and other personal electric vehicles.
Currently, there are a handful of skate, snowboard and surf shops around the world that are starting to offer an electric skateboard range. But they’re no experts.
And the majority of eskate sales are done through each brand’s online web stores.
The issues we face with this is that it can be costly to ship individual eboards around the world, servicing and repairing requires shipping the board back to the manufacturer which is costly, and purchasing spare parts and accessories is yet again requires international shipping.
The year 2020 will be the birth of electric skate shops.
This will break down the barriers of buying eboards locally, especially in remote countries like Australia and New Zealand, it’ll make it easier to have your eboards serviced or repaired and you’ll easily be able to get your hands on any eskate accessories you want.
Electric Skateboard Accessories
Speaking of accessories, 2020 is going to boom with eskate accessories.
The popularisation of electric skateboards has opened up a whole new market and part of that are third-party accessories.
Here’s a quick list of the types of products we think we’ll see next year.
- More wheel options for hub motors
- Safety clothing like what the guys at Lazy Rolling are offering
- USB accessories such as lights, indicators and horns (expect to see some innovation here)
- Eskate specific skateboard components such as wheels, trucks, bushings, bearing and decks.
Unibody Decks
Continuing on with electric skateboard features and design, let’s look at one of the most important factors of an eboard, the deck.
Most electric skateboards use a standard longboard deck and affix all of the components to it. So you’ve got these big casings underneath the deck that house the batteries, BMS and ESC.
In 2020, there will be more manufacturers aiming to develop electric skateboards that are slimline with all the electronics inside the deck, without compromising on power and performance.
It’s a big challenge, and a lot of it comes down to the battery technology, but it’s definitely on the minds of many eskate manufacturers.
Electric Skateboard Laws
It’s quite surprising that it has taken this long, but the authorities are just now starting to take notice of personal electric vehicles.
It’s clear that popularity for these machines has skyrocketed in the last 12 months, and without any proper regulation, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt, or worse…
Thankfully the e-vehicle community is being proactive and taking it upon themselves to work with legislators in working out how to best implement regulation and laws that protect the safety of all road users.
Governments can no longer turn a blind eye to these new modes of transport.
It’s looking like 2020 will be the host to judgement day for electric skateboards.
You can help support the cause by getting in contact with your local eskate group and beyond anything, you can help pass electric skateboarding as legal by always riding responsibly, wearing safety equipment, especially a helmet, and being respectful of all other road and path users.
Hitting the Mainstream
Currently, eskaters are part of a unique collective of early-adopters and enthusiasts.
But that is all about to change in 2020.
As electric scooters rapidly rise in popularity, people are turning their heads towards these personal electric vehicles. Most people will opt for the easy-to-ride electric scooters, but there is a certain type of person who is going to want something a little more adrenaline-inducing. And that’s position eboards will fill.
Electric skateboards will always be reserved for the slightly adventurous, but you can expect to see a whole lot more adventurous people eskating around in 2020.
We can’t wait! See you in the future!