How much do electric skateboards cost?
While parts certainly determine the majority of the cost when it comes to electric skateboards, there are other features that also contribute to the price range. Some of the features will dictate the minimum amount of power you need for specific parts and others are intangible features like customer service. Here are some additional things that may affect the price of your electric skateboard.
Customer Service
As I briefly touched on above, a lot of companies differentiate themselves from the competition by excelling at customer service. These days, customers expect excellent service, especially on more expensive technical products. It is expected that the company will be available with an expert to help solve any issues that may arise. These people cost money, and the training required to make sure they’re experts when it comes to your specific product also costs money. For companies that make it a point to offer 24/7 customer service via phone and live chat, this can get very expensive.
They cover these costs by charging more for each board they sell. If you don’t expect to need 24/7 customer service, you may be able to afford extra features at a lower cost. If, on the other hand, you want someone who can offer instructions if you don’t understand the manual, or tech support if something fails, you may need to spend a little extra or sacrifice some other features. (10)
Warranty
These days, warranties are also expected when it comes to expensive products. Although defects in parts and workmanship are far less likely on products like electric skateboards, which are usually assembled by hand and not an automated process, customers still expect some reassurance. Providing a warranty offers customers some peace of mind and encourages them to buy your product. It sends a message that you believe in the quality of your parts.
Unfortunately, it also presents a financial risk for the company. If something slips by their quality assurance, someone had a bad day and forgot to properly assemble a part, or even if one of their parts suppliers did manufacture a faulty product, they are responsible for covering the costs of repair or replacement. For this reason, products that have warranties often cost more than those that don’t.
One of the things companies are doing to mitigate this cost is by offering optional warranties. Their products will either come without a warranty or offer a very limited basic warranty. Any buyer who wants the reassurance of a comprehensive extended warranty can purchase extended warranty policies. This allows companies to charge less for the cost of goods and instead, customers who want the extra protection are the only ones who end up paying more for that reassurance. (11)
Location
Another factor in the price of goods is where the company is located. In America, Australia, and Europe, companies have a lot more taxes, fees, and salary requirements for their employees’ pay and benefits. That will drive the cost of their products up compared to companies in places like China, where there are fewer tariffs, taxes, business fees, and labor costs. On top of that, companies located in places where most of the production happens will face lower fees when it comes to shipping their products. (12)
More and more consumers are placing focus on supporting local businesses. A massive change has occurred that encourages ethical business practices when it comes to employee wages and eliminating slave and unfair labor pricing in supply chains. These are amazing strides, and it’s great that people are willing to pay a little more for ethically produced goods. Unfortunately, a lot of people are unaware of the problems and ethical issues that occur along specific chains.
Moreover, many are willing to purchase goods from foreign lines of production if it means lower taxes because the businesses do pay competitive wages for that area of the world. This makes it a matter of personal choice as to where you source your electric skateboard.
Economy of scale
As also mentioned above, electric skateboards are considered a niche market. (13) This means that electric skateboard companies aren’t producing their products in high volumes on assembly lines because they don’t feel the investment would be worth the return. Scaling up to larger operations would lower the cost of production per unit, and thus unit pricing, but it is a large monetary investment that typically doesn’t see enough return in gained income to be worth the investment. (14)
Consequently, given that electric skateboards are such a new market, the demand is lower and the companies are satisfied charging a little more and producing fewer products at a time. This means that, if the market share grows, they may be cheaper in the future, but for now the prices are pretty fixed.
Weight
Generally, the lighter an electric skateboard is, the better. Most of them run from 12 to 18 pounds, and the off-roading boards will weigh significantly more. In fact, some off-roading boards can run up to 80 pounds! The main thing to consider is that when you run out of power, you are going to have to carry it with you.
You also need to consider the overall weight capacity of your electric skateboard. A lot of motors will work significantly less efficiently when they are charged with carrying heavier loads. While most electric skateboards can handle a lot of weight, you will need more power to operate the heavier you are. The average electric skateboard is designed to handle a maximum weight of 220 pounds, and running at the maximum weight will significantly diminish the run time of your motor and battery. (15)
Speed and range
For most people looking to purchase electric skateboards, the main things to consider will be the speed and range. These are the most frequently compared selling points, and this is where the most compromise is made when comparing price and budget to features and capabilities.
Some of the fastest electric skateboards on the market can attain wicked top speeds of 25 or 28 miles per hour! Off-road boards usually require tons of power, but their speed will be much slower because of how heavy the board is.
Average electric skateboards will usually come with a few different speed modes, based on whether you want to race along or conserve battery power for longer ranges. These modes can limit and control your board in much the same way a governor does for cars. The ESC that I mentioned above is in charge of this feature.
When it comes to range, there is a ton of variance. Even the high-end e-boards have ranges of only 7 to 8 miles per charge, whereas some of the more affordable ones offer a larger range. This factor has a massive variance, with some boards ranging only 4 miles and several high-end boards hitting 40 miles in range (despite not being the most expensive). Funnily enough, the priciest board in the marker only comes with a 15 mile per hour range and 25 miles per hour top speed, while one of the boards that costs less than $400 boasts the same range and speed. (1)
Brakes
Electric skateboards can accelerate and brake, which is different from standard ones. The braking system on these can often come with regenerative braking. This feature will help extend the life cycle and range of your batter’s charge by recovering lost energy and converting the motion from the braking process into energy that gets put back into the battery. Not all boards come with this feature, and it is a factor that increases the cost of a board.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a variety of different factors that work together to determine how much an electric skateboard costs. You will need to determine how you intend to use your skateboard. First, decide on your budget. Costs range from $30 to $3000 for electric skateboards, and you can find some great ones in every range of the category.
Because of this, knowing how far you need to go per trip and how fast you want to go can help narrow down your options. As mentioned above, there are boards in every budget range that offer similar ranges and top speeds. Knowing how much you want to spend on the board will simply allow you to look into the additional features that come with higher-end boards as opposed to the no-frills budget boards.
Here’s a link to a great comparison chart of all the different boards available on the market. You can use this to compare boards across a wide variety of features, including price, manufacturing date, company, range, top speed, weight, whether or not it’s rated for water, battery power, warranty, and more. We know you’ll find a great board at whatever budget you can afford!