Do Electric Skateboards Have Brakes?

Electric skateboards are much faster than regular ones as they come with a motor. This is why electric skateboards can’t be stopped like regular ones.

So, do electric skateboards have brakes? Yes, they come equipped with brakes that help to stop them when necessary.

The brakes in electric skateboards are considered more as a safety feature.

On a level road, these electric skateboards can reach up to 40 kmph, which, if attempted to stop with someone’s feet, will result in an accident that leads to grave injuries.

This article will take a deeper look at how brakes work in electric skateboards. So, let’s get right to it!

 

Types of Brakes Found on Electric Skateboards

You don’t have to manually stop electric skateboards using your legs as a stopper.

Rather, you can stop these using a dedicated button for braking on the remote control. But that’s how the brakes work on the front end.

The braking system is a bit more complicated than that.

There are two major types of brakes that you can find on electric skateboards - Dynamic braking and Regenerative braking.

 

How Do They Work?

The basic function of the two brakes is the same in the sense that both use a traction motor for stopping the skateboard.

When the brake button is pressed, the motor enters a reverse mode in both skateboards. The speed gradually reduces as the motor starts spinning backward.

In dynamic braking, the heat generated while the motor spins in reverse is dissipated in the form of heat. The regenerative motor sets itself as different as it converts that produced energy and uses it to feed the battery.

 

Which One Is Better?

The regenerative motor helps recharge portions of the battery while riding the skateboard.

However, there’s one major disadvantage of the regenerative battery. If the battery is full of charge, then the motor fails to spin backward as energy can’t be fed to the battery.

So, regenerative braking is considered more efficient, but dynamic braking is more fullproof.

For getting the best results, some of the more expensive electric skateboards come with both dynamic and regenerative braking.

 

Why Don’t Electric Skateboards Use Friction Brakes?

Now, you may be wondering whether electric skateboards come with friction brakes or not.

Unfortunately, they don’t. Friction brakes are used in abundance in petrol-fueled vehicles.

They can be used in those vehicles due to their sizes, as the mechanism required to use friction brakes is huge. This is why they can’t be used with small, portable transports like the electric skateboard.

 

Are the Brakes Enough?

If you take things slow with electric brakes, then the built-in brakes, be they dynamic or regenerative, will be enough to stop the electric skateboard.

However, if you drive fast, like at 40 mph, then the brake may not be sufficient for stopping the electric skateboard.

There are multiple instances where the brake may not be enough to stop your electric skateboard. In this section, we’ll go through them so you know when to keep your feet ready!

 

Is It Possible to Use Regenerative Brakes on a Fully Charged Battery

A regenerative brake will not work on a fully charged battery. This mainly happens because the motor fails to run backwards as it can’t return any energy to the battery.

So, when you’re using a regenerative battery and taking the electric skateboard out after a full charge, we’d recommend keeping your feet ready. Otherwise, you’ll fail to stop the board.

Also, be sure to go slow and easy as you won’t be able to stop the board if you’re going at high speed. In some cases, it might be better to jump off the board even!

 

A Few Tips That Will Come in handy

Here’s some additional tips that I learned from my own experience with electric skateboards.

 

Be Careful of Drained Battery

When the battery of an electric skateboard drains out, it stops all sorts of functionalities of the electric skateboard including the braking mechanism.

So, if your electric skateboard’s battery seems low, you should be prepared to stop it with your feet.

 

Be Ready to Use the Feet While Going at High Speed

When going at high speed, it’s important to keep your feet prepared for stopping the bike. This is because electric skateboards aren’t designed to stop the board when it’s going at a speed of 40 kmph or higher.

The brake will slow the board considerably, but you’ll need to provide the extra stoppage power with your feet. Moreover, try not to push your electric skateboard to reach high speeds as that’s not safe at all.

 

Do Not Rule Out Remote Control Malfunction

Electric skateboards are dependent totally on technology. Despite the developments that took place in recent decades, technology still hasn’t become fully trustworthy, especially when it comes to your life.

The remote-control mechanism of electric skateboards might malfunction, as the brake might not function when you need it to. The issue might lie in the battery also.

You may forget to charge the remote control before going out, or the battery might drain out after long use. In such cases, you’ll have to use your feet to stop the skateboard.

 

Learn How to Use the Remote Properly

One of the most critical aspects of the electronic skateboard is learning how to use the remote properly. This is especially true when using the brakes.

Pressing the brake when you’re going at high speed will cause the skateboard to jerk, and you might even go out of balance.

To brake properly, you need to let go of the acceleration button and slow down a bit before you brake. This way the braking will be more controlled and stable.

 

Conclusion

As you can see, electric skateboards do have brakes that you can use to stop these without much effort. However, they must be used with caution.

Although the brakes are effective, they aren’t foolproof. Unless handled with care, they may not react as expected.

So, electric skateboards must be driven responsibly and with care to get the best out of them!