Overview
Update 7/25/2016: Yuneec recently came out with the Yuneec E-Go 2
which means that the original Yuneec E-Go will not be produced anymore. You can still buy the Yuneec E-Go used on Amazon.com
or you can choose to go with the updated Yuneec E-GO 2. If you want more information on the 2nd generation of Yuneec boards, find our review of the Yuneec E-Go 2 here.
Contents
| Product | Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|---|
Yuneec E-Go | Affordable, mobile app for control, long range | Long charging time(4 hours), low top speed, no regenerative braking |  |
Review Summary: The most affordable electric skateboard on the market, the Yuneec E-Go
is perfect for the commuter tired of walking and wanting to try a new mode of transportation. While this board won’t blow people away with its raw power and speed, it is a great electric skateboard backed by a company with excellent customer support.
Yuneec E-Go: The Origin
One of the boards that started growing the concept of the electric skateboard into the popular movement today, the Yuneec E-Go electric skateboard remains one of the best electric skateboards of 2015.
Unlike many other companies who just produce electric skateboards, the Yuneec electric skateboard came as a subdivision from a multinational company dedicated to manufacturing electric propulsion systems for aircrafts. An engineer thought of an idea to apply the same electronic systems to a skateboard and the Yuneec E-GO was born.
The Board
Weighing only 13.9 lbs, the deck of the Yuneec E-GO is made out of 8 layers of Canadian maple with one layer painted orange for aesthetics. While 8 layers may sound like a lot, the board itself is very slim with the battery pack barely noticeable. A passerby might mistake it for a regular skateboard until you blow their minds by speeding up hills.
The underside of the board has a protective layer of carbon fiber to improve the strength of the board and protect it from scratches on the underside when rolling over rough pavement.
See additional reviews, pricing, and more pictures here!
To improve rider’s grip on the board, the top has a layer of grip tape with the Yuneec E-Go logo featured prominently near the front of the board.
The battery pack can be seen in the center of the board to the left. Yuneec claims that they have a patented flexible case for their battery that allows it to flex with the board. When I was testing out the board, the deck felt semi-stiff and did not flex that much as I bounced up and down on the board.
Unlike boards such as the Boosted Dual and Boosted Dual+, the Yuneec E-Go is only powered by one 400 W motor shown above. While this keeps the cost low, it limits the Yuneec E-Go to small hills and low top speeds. I also noticed that when I was braking at high speeds, the board tended to pull a little to the left as that is the side the motor is on.
Yuneec E-Go: The Remote
A small wireless remote which is included in the box is used to control the board. It weighs less than 60 grams and takes up much less space than a cellphone. The remote has a throttle which can be pushed up and down to control the acceleration of the board.
The remote can be used to switch the operation of the board into one of two modes. There is Sport mode where the top speed is up 13 mph and the board will accelerate quickly. There is also eco mode which with a top speed of 8 mph and slower acceleration, will have a longer range.
See additional reviews, pricing, and more pictures here!
Yuneec recommends that beginner riders start in Eco mode as they get accustomed to the board then move into Sport mode to bring their riding to the next level.
The remote has 3 main lights to indicate the battery status of different components. The Blue light indicates the wireless controller status. The Green light indicates the skateboard’s battery left.
Each flash of the light indicates 25% of the battery is left. 4 flashes mean the battery is completely charged.
There is also a red light on the remote. This light is used to show when the battery is completed or when the battery is charging.
If you’re not a fan of the wireless remote, one significant advantage the Yuneec E-Go electric skateboard has over similar boards is that you can use your cellphone to control the board over Bluetooth. Yuneec released an app for the iPhone and Android that takes all of the functionality of the wireless remote and puts it on your phone. This is very useful if you don’t want to carry around a remote as you ride.
Riding the Board
After riding the board continuously for a while, I had a couple of notes. For one thing, electric skateboards are amazing. Taking this baby up hills, I had just longboarded down felt amazing. Death to pushing! The top speed of this board ultimately clocked out at almost exactly 12.5 mph which felt a little slow to me.
See additional reviews, pricing, and more pictures here!
Range
The biggest aspect of the Yuneec E-Go that I wanted to test was the range. A claimed 18-mile range is by far one of the longest on the market currently. Unfortunately, it did not appear to live up to the hype. After riding continuously for a week and charging it up completely every night, the furthest I was able to get was 13 miles with 12.3 miles being the average. All of my riding was done at max speed so your results might vary.
Braking
One advantage of electric skateboards is the ability to modify your speed through the remote or mobile app. Feel like you’re going too fast? Simply brake. Want to speed up to overtake that bicyclist? No problem.
Braking is the one area where I was surprised with the Yuneec E-Go. Going down hills, trying to brake only seemed to have a minor effect and when I did start to slow, the board would gently lean to the left. This is because the electric skateboard is only powered by one motor which is mounted on the left side.
My recommendation is to not tackle any hills you would not feel safe on with a regular longboard because the braking in this board won’t slow you down that much.
Charging
The Yuneec E-Go takes 3-4 hours to charge which to me seemed long. One way I got around it was simply driving the board during the day and leaving it to charge all night.
See additional reviews, pricing, and more pictures of the Yuneec 2nd Generation here!
One advantage the Yuneec E-Go has over other electric skateboards is that it uses a standard mini usb charging port, the same type usually used to charge phones (pretty much any phone except iPhones). This means you can charge the remote or even your cellphone off of your skateboard battery. Pretty useful if your phone is dead if you ask me.
Customer support
As an extra note in this review, I must say that I was very impressed with the customer support division at Yuneec. Within about two weeks, my board had a minor motor malfunction which appeared randomly.
I instantly contacted them and throughout our contact, they were always very prompt and helpful in their responses. Ultimately, I sent it off to them to get fixed and it was back within 2.5 weeks good as new.
