Electric unicycle — Electric unicycle

No matter how much time has passed and how almost common the new rideables have become on the streets of big cities, for most of us, hearing the word “unicycle” naturally takes us to a circus arena. Somehow, the guy riding it should still be juggling oranges to the applause of an excited audience instead of calmly riding through the crowd with a laptop bag. As our reality is changing, it is high time to let go of these ideas of the past and accept the new contraptions for what they are – just one more way to get to...

How easy are electric unicycles to ride? They're becoming increasingly popular, but not having ridden a traditional unicycle before, I'm curious to find out how difficult they are to use and how long it takes to ride it proficiently. Electric Unicycle of Choice: InMotion V8 After some online research into popular electric unicycles and considering my budget (£1000), I chose the InMotion V8 Electric Unicycle. Coming in at £995, I was under budget, delivery was quick and after a short charge, it was good to go. Top Tips for Riding An Electric Unicycle First off, make sure the tyres are running at the correct pressure!...

One fairly common misconception about Electric Unicycles is that they weigh what they do because of the weight of the battery pack. In a top-of-the-line Electric Wheel, like a King Song with a 840Wh battery, it’s true that the batteries are not exactly light; however at most, they represent at around 20% of the Wheel’s weight. With most Wheels, the motor constitutes around 50% (or more) of the total weight. This is because the components that make an electric motor work are intrinsically heavy: there are the permanent magnets on the rotor (the part that spins), a lot of heavy copper, steal cores...

There are now dozens of different battery cells being made by the big manufacturers LG, Samsung, Panasonic, & Sony. For use in an application like an Electric Unicycle, the two qualities that make a particular cell more suitable over another are it’s power output (Amps) & energy density (Ah). Until fairly recently there was an inevitable trade-off between either high-powered cells (e.g. Sony VC3/A123) and energy dense cells—there’s the example of the Panasonic NCR18650B, which had capacity, but could only deliver 2-3 sustained Amps. What has been one of the key drivers in powering the Personal Electric Vehicle revolution, is...

One of the many attractions of an Electric Unicycle, is its inherent simplicity, what could possibly be more efficient than a gyroscopically guided direct-drive hub motor & fitted with a big battery pack? While these machine do not, yet, have suspension, the inflatable tire does a reasonably effective job at giving you a comfortable ride experience. Finding the Right Pressure: The correct pressure is a matter of finding a balance between an optimized efficiency & your preferred level of ride comfort. If the air pressure is too high, then it will not absorb any of the bumps or irregularity of...