Hub and belt-drive motors are the two most common electric skateboard motors. Despite the fact that they both power electric skateboards, how they differ significantly impacts the riding experience. In order to help you decide which is best for your riding needs, let’s explore the differences between belt-drive and hub motors.
What Are Hub Motors of Electric Skateboard
Although they haven’t been around as long, hub motors are proving to be highly popular in the world of e-skates. All of the parts of a hub motor are contained inside the wheel. It is just an engine with a skateboard sleeve wrapped around it. When they turn, they directly spin the wheels while seated within the electric skateboard’s back wheels. Their gear ratio is 1:1 as a result. In other words, the wheel rotates one full turn for every complete rotation made by the motor.
Advantages of Hub Motors
Low Maintenance
Due to the lack of a gear drive, belts, or chains, maintenance and expense of hub motors are reduced. Fewer locations for water to enter also make the hub motors more water resistant. Even so, it’s crucial to maintain them clean and clutter-free. Ensure that the motor and the surrounding area are routinely cleaned of any dust or debris. The wheel sleeve should also be removed every few months so that you can quickly clean it. If you perform this little maintenance, the skateboard will last longer. Clean motors also imply that they are less likely to malfunction or create any problems, keeping you safe as you ride.
Quiet Operation
Compared to belt motors, hub motors are very quiet. In addition to being covered in urethane rubber, it lacks a gear drive that would contribute to the noise. This means that few people will be able to tell you’re not riding a standard skateboard while you drive about town or on your campus unnoticed. It’s great for commuters and anyone concerned about disturbing their neighbors or the community to be able to ride discreetly.
Higher Top Speed
A hub-driven electric skateboard is often designed to give a higher top speed than a similarly manufactured belt-driven board since there is no gear drive to multiply torque at the sacrifice of speed.
Can Ride as a Traditional Skateboard
When not powered, hub motors have the least amount of friction. Therefore, compared to a belt-driven board, an electric skateboard powered by a hub motor is very simple to push when the battery runs out. You can ride an electric skateboard with hub motors like a traditional board when the battery runs out.
Lighter and More Cost-Effective
Hub motors are lighter than an equivalent belt-driven electric skateboard because they merge the wheel and motor into one piece. You may have noticed that many less expensive brands offer hub motors, whereas the more expensive brands frequently employ belt motors. This is because belt-drive motors are far more expensive than hub motors. We riders may benefit from this decreased cost by purchasing reasonably priced electric skateboards.
Disadvantages of Hub Motors
No Torque Multiplication
Electric skateboards with hub motors often have less torque than those with comparable belt motors. This is so that you may increase torque when utilizing a belt drive by altering the size of the driving gears. Similar to how your front sprocket, which is attached to your pedals, is larger than your back sprocket on a bicycle, this allows you to increase torque at the sacrifice of speed. Therefore, an electric skateboard with belt motors often has higher torque for climbing hills and difficult terrain. Because the motor is connected directly to the wheel and there is no gear drive in between to multiply torque, a hub-driven board can only offer a straight 1:1 drive ratio. But when it comes to electric skateboards, it’s important to keep in mind that power isn’t everything.
Harder to Change Wheels of Electric Skateboard
Since the motor is built into the wheel, changing wheels is more complicated than it is with a belt-driven electric skateboard. Hub-powered skateboards often offer fewer alternatives for changing the wheels.
Less Comfort When Riding Electric Skateboard
Electric skateboards with hub motors have always been seen as being less comfortable than those with belt motors. This was because the polyurethane on the wheel sleeves was inherently thinner than that on belt drives, which could accommodate a full set of wheels for more cushioning. But as wheel and motor technology has developed, this problem has diminished. With the same amount of power, motors are now smaller to provide room for more polyurethane, which improves comfort.
What Are Belt Motors of Electric Skateboard
how does an electric skateboard with a belt motor operate? With belt-driven electric skateboards, the engine is connected to the board independently of the wheels, often via a bracket to the trucks. A rubber belt connects the two gears located on the running wheel and the motor shaft. The e-board moves forward due to how the belt transmits rotation from the motor to the wheel. Several sizes are available for every part of a belt-drive system, including belts, wheels, motors, and motor pulleys. You may construct special combinations that change the acceleration, top speed, and range of the electric skateboard by combining and contrasting these various parts.
Advantages of Belt Motors
Higher Torque
With a belt drive, both the engine and the wheel can have gears for input and output. Similar to how a car’s transmission alters the amount of torque accessible to the wheels based on the gear the transmission is in, changing the size of these gears will alter the torque multiplication available from the engine. Having said that, hub motors are not as disadvantageous as you may believe. Due to internal motor designs and updates to the electronic speed controller, newer boards on the market have tuned their hub motors to be highly competitive and can deliver comparable amounts of torque without the usage of gears and belts.
More Customizable
Belt-drive motors have all their parts outside the wheel, so you can access them whenever necessary. To make the board ride precisely as you want, you may alter the pulleys, belts, wheels, and motors. Compared to hub-driven wheels, belt-driven boards will always offer a wider selection of wheels. Since the motor is independent of the wheel, it may stay with the board, and a wider variety of wheel types are compatible. With hub motors, you must either replace the complete motor and wheel assembly or the urethane sleeve that covers the hub motor.
Better Heat Dissipation
A belt-driven board is exposed to air circulation while you’re riding and has the motor linked to the trucks. Compared to a hub motor that is insulated by a urethane rubber sleeve, this offers higher heat dissipation
Disadvantages of Belt Motors
Loud Operation
Because of the nature of their construction, belt-driven boards almost always produce more noise. Both the belt and the exposed motor will produce some noise. Since the motor is housed inside the wheel of a hub-driven board, it is covered in a strong Urethane rubber layer. In addition to giving traction on the ground, rubber is also a great sound insulation.
Requires More Maintenance
Depending on the board manufacturer, the belt on a belt-driven board generally has to be replaced every 300 to 600 miles. Additionally, the exposed belt is vulnerable to debris like sand and pebbles, which might cause it to break. It’s not terrible to replace them, but it’s something to be aware of. However, a snapped belt will force you to return on foot.
Hard to Ride as a Traditional Skateboard
Once the battery dies, pushing on a belt-driven electric skateboard is nearly impossible. This is because the gear drive, which offers a useful lever when the motor is operating, increases the friction in the motor when it is not. As a result, when the charge runs out, the motor experiences significant friction, making pushing home a challenge. Most likely, you’ll have to carry it when the battery runs out.
Conclusion
Hub motors VS belt motors, which is better? The answer is it depends on what you are looking for. A hub motor electric skateboard is for you if you want something quiet and affordable and you don’t want to spend time maintaining the board or fiddling with the parts. On the other hand, a belt-driven electric skateboard would be perfect for you if you’re seeking power, enjoy experimenting with different setups to make your e-board distinctive, and don’t mind the occasional maintenance chore. To find your ideal electric skateboard, you can also check our list of the top 10 best electric skateboards of 2022.
