In 2016 we saw the first hub motor on an electric board, and ever since then, this technology has proven to be major competition for belt driven boards. There is a common misconception that these are entirely different types of motors, but all three (hub, belt and direct) utilize the same brushless motor. The difference is how the motor is attached to the wheel.

A belt driven board has gears mounted on both the motor and wheel which are connected by a belt. All the original electric boards used this setup and it has proven to be a durable and long-lasting method. One of the advantages of this drive type is the torque created by a smaller gear that’s mounted on the motor, and a larger gear mounted on the wheel providing a slightly higher gear ratio than the hub drive type.

A hub driven board has the motor built into the wheel, which typically provides a quieter and smoother ride. However, this type of connection can only provide a 1:1 gear ratio to the wheel which means you will not get as much torque as a belt drive. Given this is a relatively new technology, there are concerns about the durability due to the amount of impact the wheels of an electric board take, which is transferred through the wheel to the motor and then to the trucks.

There is a third drive type used by some boards where the motor is external to the wheel but directly connected via gears, which has the advantages of a belt driven board with less maintenance. As the physical size of brushless motors continues to get smaller, we may see more of this drive type. Currently it presents engineers a spatial problem trying to fit the motors and wheels inline around the trucks underneath the deck.

In summary, there is no perfect drive type. All three options have their advantages and disadvantages so selecting a board for its drive type will depend on what type of ride you want. In a future article we will provide a detailed table with all of the factors you should consider when selecting a drive type.