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The defining feature of any electric skateboard is, of course, its ability to generate speed thanks to its motor, battery, and remote control. While cruising around the neighborhood without the use of your legs is fun and easy, there may come a time when kick-pushing your board manually will come in handy.
Fortunately, you can push an electric skateboard, but there are some caveats you should be aware of.
Not all electric skateboards are made the same way. The different components used to create them mean they will ride in various ways as a result. Take electric skateboards that are motor-driven as an example – these boards offer low resistance and are relatively easy to push. They won’t be quite as smooth while pushing compared to a regular skateboard but will still require minimal effort.
However, some electric skateboards will offer much more resistance while pushing. As a rule of thumb, electric skateboards that are belt-driven instead of motor-driven will offer a lot of resistance. They can still be kick-pushed, but it is generally not recommended to do this as it is a very inefficient method of transportation.
Electric skateboards were primarily designed to be used with the remote control. The most important time to plant your feet on the ground when riding one is to bring it to a complete stop while simultaneously using the stop or brake button. There is little reason to kick-push an electric skateboard.
Your electric skateboard could be pushed if you are running low on battery, but keep in mind that this is still not a particularly efficient method. It’s also important to note that your board may offer too much resistance depending on the pulleys and other components. At that point, carrying your board with your hands or with a custom backpack would be a much better option.
Unfortunately, there are no electric skateboards that have a regenerative function tied to manually pushing. There are electric skateboards with a regenerative braking feature, but this will not come in handy when using the board as a regular skateboard.
Using an electric skateboard like a regular skateboard is entirely harmless and could not damage any of its components, including the motor or the pulleys. While electric skateboards were not strictly designed to be used manually, nothing is stopping you from doing so if you have run out of batteries or are simply curious to know what it feels like.
While your mileage may vary, most electric skateboards will not feel as smooth as when pushing a regular board. If you’ve ever felt what it’s like to ride a regular skateboard uphill, it’s a little bit like that. Even the low-resistance motor-driven electric skateboards will always offer some degree of resistance that will make them feel somewhat less smooth than regular skateboards.
It would be best to keep in mind that electric skateboards are always equipped with a battery, a motor, and some extra components that regular skateboards do not have, even with a low-resistance model. This makes even the most lightweight electric skateboards heavier than regular skateboards, which will only add to the difficulty of manually pushing them.
While nothing stops you from pushing an electric skateboard like a regular one, it may not offer the smooth ride you were hoping for. Belt-driven electric skateboards provide a lot of resistance, but even their low-resistance motor-driven counterparts are not going to be entirely smooth either. While kick-pushing may come in handy if you are low on battery, you are probably best off avoiding it altogether.
Thank you for reading and if you have any remaining questions about pushing electric skateboards or just about electric skateboards in general, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.