There are lots of specifications people will consider when they are purchasing electric boards, including top speed, range, charging time, board weight and many other aspects. Among all those factors, range occupies an important position. The electric skateboard manufacturers or companies will list all those parameters for your reference. However, most people will be skeptical of the accuracy of these statistics. So they will hop on the board and have a range test themselves.
However, you may have already noticed that the range test results vary for different riders even if you are using the same product. Well, that’s because lots of factors will influence how far your board will go. Generally, a range test is carried out on a single charge and average speed on the flats until the battery is dead. Keep reading to know what elements will affect your range test result.
What will affect a range test?
Riding style
Riding style does affect how much mileage you can get to a certain degree. Are you prefer riding on flat bike trails, going up and down steep hills, or commuting in the street? Are you into riding with high speed at full throttle until the battery dies or riding in auto cruise mode? All theses variables are the root of different range test result even with the same person. As long as the your mileage is within or less below the referenced range scope, it’s quite normal and reasonable.
Rider weight
Obviously there are so many factors that are affecting the range. The weight of a rider is crucial when riding electric skateboards. The higher your weight, the more power the board will need to carry you forward or go uphill. A rider with a weight of 70 kg can ride easily using a normal electric skateboard. But for riders who weigh more than 80 kg, they will probably have less range.
Terrain
Terrain is another factor that will change your range result. Normally when carrying out a range test, the rider will not go with the highest speed mode or go up any hills. It’s basically riding circles in the slowest mode possible. So the range test result is pretty good. It’s no doubt that riding up hills will drain battery quicker and riding down the hills will save the battery. Riding on variable terrain (including flat terrain, elevated and hilly roads and sidewalks) or a mix of road and path, you can get different range miles.
Battery level
If you plan to conduct a range test when you get a brand new electric skateboard, fully charge and discharge your battery for three times to train the batteries. In normal case, when the electric skateboard comes out of the factory, it won’t be fully charged. So if you go out to test the range without charging, you’ll get much less range than expected. Remember to check the battery level in order to obtain an ideal range. By the way, a free fast charger for Lycaon Board is available if you order now to save you from long-time charging!
During the range test, the remote controller will vibrate and beep to remind you that the battery is going to be run out of soon. If you continue to ride, the speed will become slower and slower. Do not drain the battery too much as it will damage the battery badly and influence the battery life of you electric skateboard. When the remote starts to vibrate and beep, probably you should stop going any further. That should be the end of you range test.
Speed
A lot of people love to have a range test with the top speed, but it turns out to be an unsatisfactory result. It is no surprise if you keep riding at top speed. To maintain top speed, the battery needs to provide continuous power to the board, which will certainly cause the battery dead in a short period. Think it over, when you ride the board everyday, you won’t ride it in the highest speed all the time. You have to consider the traffic and any other barriers. Hence, you need to simulate your real daily commuting route while doing a range test.
Temperature
If you are testing your board out in different temperatures, obviously your mileage is going to vary. Too hot or too cold temperature will decrease the battery discharge capacity and you’ll definitely not get the best range out of it. Heat can be very dangerous for the lifespan of a lithium-ion battery. The worst thing for a battery is when you fully charge it and expose it to high temperatures.
Wind speed
Wind speed can also have an influence on the range. The higher the wind speed is, the more wind power you will obtain to push you forward so that you can save battery power for more range. If you ride against the wind, you’ll encounter more resistance and get less range. Luckily, it’s not going to make a big difference, you may get a reasonable range result but not the best range.
How does LycaonBoard run a range test?
You may have noticed that range data listed on the official LycaonBoard website is a general scope between 23 miles ± 2 miles / 37 km ± 3.2 km, which perfectly indicating that range varies with many factors. The range data is based on a rider weighing 155lbs travelling across downtown floor with different speed modes. To maintain the accuracy of the range data, the range test is done by the same rider for multiple times.
As mentioned above, the result could be impacted by so many factors and we’re trying to offer the real and reliable statistics. For LycaonBoard, there is a auto cruise function. Just so you know, if you do a range test on the auto cruise mode, the range you get will be less than other speed modes. The reason is the continuous power output under auto cruise mode will consume batteries quickly. So you’d better not run a range test of Lycaon G or Lycaon GR on the auto cruise mode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1zjNPsIoUw&t=29s
This Lycaon GR range test video is filmed by Scott. He got a pretty a good result but not the best as he used the cruise control for 85-90% of the test. Auto cruise mode will uses more power to keep the board at a set speed. But we are still impressed by his remarks: ”This is the board that just won’t die.” You won’t know the amazing range of Lycaon GR until you get one!
How does a LycaonBoard rider run a range test?
For you to get a range mileage within expectation, here are some useful tips for you to follow.
1.Fully charge and discharge the board for three times to get the best performance of the batteries. Make sure the batteries are fully charged before you go out for a range test. (Extremely important)
2.Choose a route with less bumps or hills. The a range test is to simulate the riding or commuting route in your daily life. You may need to stop for a traffic light or give way to pedestrians.
3.It’s suggested to test the range with average speed. If you ride with the highest speed mode or auto cruise mode all the time, the batteries will drain quickly and reduce your range mileage.
4.When you are ready for a range test, make sure there is no extra load except your helmet or necessary protective gear. Never forget there is a maximum load limit. Heavy load on the board will affect range test result.
5.Check out the weather and temperature before initiating the range test. Too hot or too cold temperature will affect the efficiency of the batteries and then further influence the miles you get.
LycaonBoard Range Test Review Video
Here are some range test video about Lycaon GR and the riders got pretty good results. They are basically testing the range in a relatively reasonable way. Hope you can get some inspiration on how to get the best range out of Lycaon GR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZjWSUeB5CE&t=763s
This is a well-detailed review video from Brandon Yu. He introduced Lycaon GR in almost every aspect you may want to know about an electric skateboard, like design, hardware and ride comfort. And he also got a pretty nice range — 21.5miles！ If you want to get the same range as him or even more mileage, remember to check this video.
This video is filmed by Michael. He did not run a full range test because of some urgent work, but he got a total of 11 miles and still had 75% of the battery life. During the process, he used both high mode and high+ mode. Though he didn’t run out of the battery, the range test result was still pretty good.
Hope this article can give you a new idea about how to do a range test and how to get the best range. Do you have a board? What range are you getting? How did you get the range statistics? Share with us in the comments. We’d love to know your story.