Before I talk about the Exway Atlas Pro, let’s have a little refresher about the original Atlas.
The Future of Consumer Electric Skateboards
About a year ago, Exway released the Atlas – a modular all-terrain electric skateboard that can be configured as 2WD for more range, or 4WD for some insane performance. Even in 2WD, the Atlas was more powerful than its direct competitors at the time.
And unlike most other boards, the performance of the Atlas could be fine-tuned, even separately for the front and rear motors.
The double kingpin trucks on the Atlas were unlike any other double kingpin trucks I had tried, providing a great balance of stability and maneuverability straight out of the box.
The Atlas also had certain accessories that other did not, such as a pull handle and mudguards with mounts for ShredLights built in.
And just like all Exway products, the Atlas was beautifully designed. I called it the future of consumer electric skateboards.
The Future Caught Up, Sort Of
And now, a year later, the performance of mass produced electric skateboards have skyrocketed to a point where I’m not even sure if I should be calling these consumer products anymore. Several brands have even ditched their double kingpin trucks for more stable traditional kingpin trucks to handle all that power.
And appearance-wise, electric skateboards in general are looking better and better.
So where does that place the original Exway Atlas today?
At 518Wh, the battery capacity of the Atlas was considered average for an all-terrain board. Today it would be on the low end.
The power rating for the ESC on the Atlas was 40A in 2WD, while its direct competitors at the time were all using 30A. Today, 40 to 50A in 2WD is common for the all-terrain category. And as for 4WD, the Atlas now has at least a couple of competitors.
While the Atlas still has several unique features and selling points, in terms of performance it’s no longer a top-of-the-line production board.
So that means it’s time for Exway to launch their new flagship: the Atlas Pro.
Pushing the Envelope: Atlas Pro
I have two Atlas Pro prototypes and I’ll need some time to do a proper review. For now let me just give you a brief rundown of the major upgrades and new features.
The battery capacity has been increased by 35%. At 701Wh, it’s a pretty average capacity for all-terrain boards nowadays. But on the Atlas Pro, you can plug in an external battery back. They call it the AUXPack and it brings the total capacity to 1742Wh.
That’s really a lot. This is the only production board I can think of that has an add-on battery option. The AUXPack is not released yet but should become available in about a month or so.
In addition, Exway is soon releasing a 1000W super fast charger that should charge the board in about 1 hour, or the board plus the AUXPack in about 2 hours. That is really fast for such a large battery.
The ESCs on the Atlas Pro are now 50% smaller but twice as powerful and more efficient. There’s also supposed to be a new app to be released later this month.
The motors are now bigger with 52% more stator volume, bringing roughly 50% more power than the Atlas motors. The motor guards have been updated and now come standard.
The trucks are now 1 inch wider and come with two sets of bushings: a hard and fat set suitable for high speeds, and a softer set suitable for carving. With 2 sets of bushings and 4 bushings on each truck, you have many different ways you can mix and match them to your liking. For example, I’m trying out hard soft soft soft in front, and hard soft hard soft in the back.
The stock wheels are now CNC machined and supposedly the tires are easier to change.
The new fenders are supposed to be upgraded and easier to install. I don’t have them though.
What I’m most excited about is simply the fact that there is a limited edition in white. I think it looks awesome.
That’s all I have for now. Give me a few weeks to do the full review. But since the Atlas Pro is essentially an improved Atlas, I’m expecting it to be just as great if not better.
In fact, the original Atlas is on sale, and I think it’s at a really good price right now.
The Exway Atlas Carbon gives us a peek into the future of consumer electric skateboards. It’s such a threat to the status quo that even the police couldn’t keep their hands off it.
But important questions remain: is the Exway Atlas Carbon overpriced? What are its flaws? And where do you get this seductive Premium Power tshirt?
Price
The long-awaited Exway Atlas turned out to be more expensive than many people expected – myself included! But considering its build quality, performance, and features – which I’ll go over in this video – is it overpriced?
If you read through online comments, there seem to be two main overpriced arguments.
The first is that if you spend just a few hundred dollars more than the 4WD Atlas Carbon, you can get something like a Lacroix Jaws or a MetroboardX. I’ve never tried those boards personally but I’ve heard great things about them. So if your budget is above $2500, those are certainly boards to take into consideration. But on the other hand, the 2WD Atlas Carbon is about $1000 less than the Lacroix and Metroboard.
The second argument about price is that the Atlas’s battery capacity of 518Wh is kind of small relative to its price.
Verreal RS 20Ah: $1.58/Wh
WowGo AT2: $2.18/Wh
Onsra Black Carve 2: $2.84/Wh
Exway Atlas 2WD: $3.09/Wh
When you divide the price by Watt-hours, even the cheapest option Atlas Carbon is more expensive than many of the competitors.
So for the Atlas Carbon to not be overpriced, it has to provide superior value in other areas.
But does it?
Electronics
Motors
The Atlas is available in either 2WD like most boards, or 4WD which is the unique selling point that Exway is pushing.
Because of the small size of the motors compared to some other boards, many people assumed that Exway’s small motors would under-perform. But they were wrong.
As shown in my previous video, the Atlas in 2WD outperformed the six other boards it was compared with in uphill stress tests. Be sure to watch that video if you haven’t for a premium experience.
As for 4WD, the acceleration is nuts. With Turbo enabled, going full throttle from a full stop requires practice. And the insane amount of power is not just in the low end torque. The board continues to pull very hard until you’re near the top speed.
2WD Street: 43 km/h
2WD All-Terrain: 48 km/h
4WD Street: 46 km/h
4WD All-Terrain: 51 km/h
The acceleration of course will vary according to your weight and other conditions, but for me at around 75 kg or 165 lb, staying balanced in full throttle with Turbo is not easy. I should also mention the brakes are extremely strong.
But the main benefit of 4WD is not the acceleration. 4WD is most suited for situations where you have limited traction. Exway has shown a great example of this. Here’s a prototype Atlas climbing a steep incline with a dusty and uneven surface. With 4WD, even if one pair of wheels lose traction, you still have another pair pulling you up.
4WD isn’t great for everything though. Carving in 4WD on a flat well-paved road to me felt weird. I would even describe it as slippery and a bit unpredictable.
But that’s only when you’re supplying the same amount of power to all four wheel. On the Atlas 4WD, you can easily customize the power for the front and back motors separately. In most cases, you would keep the front motors at low power or even disable them, and then crank the power back up only when you actually need 4WD.
Battery
Due to a short supply of 18650 battery cells affecting all industries that use them, the Atlas now uses the larger 21700 cells in a 12S3P instead of 4P arrangement. The overall battery capacity remains the same at 518Wh.
I’ve done a range test for each of the Atlas’s four stock configurations. I wrote about them in detail on my website, dkwan.com. In brief, the range in 2WD is about the same as any other board with a similar size battery and similar ride conditions.
Atlas 2WD All-Terrain: 518Wh, 31km
WowGo AT2: 504Wh, 33km
Ownboard Bamboo AT: 504Wh, 32km
For 4WD, I did definitely get less range, but like I said earlier, the power of the front and back motors can be configured separately. For everyday use, you can turn down the power on the front motors, or even switch into 2WD.
The battery is swappable, but it’s quite large and you’d have to remove 18 screws on the cover. So if you plan on swapping batteries, you’ll probably want to use a power tool to save time.
Speed Controllers
Exway Atlas in 4WD uses two ESCs (electronic speed controllers), one for each pair of motors. And each ESC is rated for 40 amps of continuous current. For comparison, most of the direct competitors use single ESCs rated for 30 amps. What this means is the Atlas is able to send more power to the motors compared to most of its direct competitors.
(Clarification: Atlas’s 40A ESC is a single ESC in 2WD mode.)
Aside from being more powerful, Exway’s proprietary ESCs allow the Atlas to have features that few or no other boards have. Going through all of the features in detail would take up too much time for this video, but I’ll briefly go through five of the important ones.
Standby. Of the 7 boards we tested in the previous video, only the Exway and WowGo have standby. Standby allows the board to be turned on or off using the remote so that you don’t have to constantly bend over to push a button on the board. Kieran hates that, and so do I.
Free Mode. This turns the brake control into reverse so that you can seamlessly move forward and backward without having to stop and click a button.
Drive system settings. Like Exway’s other boards, you can change the belt drive system to a different one, such as direct drive when it becomes available.
Custom power curves. You can set the acceleration and brake curves for each of the four speed modes. And on the 4WD Atlas, you can set the front and rear power curves separately.
Firmware updates. Like many other high tech consumer electronics, you can update the firmware on your board and remote over the air. Exway has provided updates in the past for things like improving battery indicator accuracy and reducing the effects of voltage sag.
Not only does the Atlas has some of the best electronics for a mass production electric skateboard, it also has some better skate components than its direct competitors.
Skate Parts
Trucks
Exway Atlas uses double kingpin trucks. If you’ve watched other videos from me, you know that I’m not a big fan of this type of truck – at least not for electric skateboards. I know some of you don’t feel the same, but many people do.
I’m happy to say that Exway’s double kingpin trucks are different. I don’t normally ride at top speeds, but I’ve gone up to 47 km/h on these and felt totally confident. I didn’t change the bushings, didn’t change the washers, and didn’t tighten the trucks.
These are the only double kingpin trucks I’ve used that can use eight longboard size barrel bushings with a cup washer on each of them. Others are stuck with using cone bushings or short bushings because they’re essentially copies of the Gullwing Sidewinder.
Even though the stock setup is great for me, some of you might decide to fine tune and use 3rd party bushings. These trucks give you more flexibility in using different types of bushings and washers than other double kingpin trucks.
Another benefit of Atlas’s trucks is that you can adjust the lower kingpin nut with a skate tool without taking apart the truck. Competitors: please copy Exway.
Wheels
The stock Exway Atlas comes with either all-terrain wheels only, or all-terrain and street wheels in the 2-in-1 package.
The all-terrain wheels are 160mm with pneumatic tires. And the urethane street wheels are 90 x 64mm, 78A. Personally I love the street wheels, but certain situations call for the all-terrain wheels.
For example, there’s a bike path that I used to love, but now it’s terrible. It’s falling apart and has pebbles everywhere, making the corners dangerously slippery with street wheels. But with all-terrain wheels, those pebbles are far less of an issue.
Exway also sells wheels with 175mm knobby tires for more extreme off-roading. And if you want to use your own tires, you can also buy just the hubs.
For third-party wheels, Exway has pulleys that support wheels from Orangatang, Boa, Boosted, Cloudwheel, and others that share the same wheel core designs. Exway is also making pulleys to support certain wheels from Seismic and Landyachtz, although those are probably more for the smaller boards.
Deck
The carbon fiber deck on the Atlas is 100 by 25.5 cm. It’s more on the longer side and feels pleasantly roomy for me. I’m about 182cm or 6 feet tall.
The deck uses foam grip tape for a bit of shock absorption and improved grip.
Like most other boards in this form factor, the trucks are drop-through mounted, and the standing area is slightly lower than the baseplates. These features add to the overall stability of the board.
The concave is relatively shallow making this deck more appropriate for long distance rides compared to, for example, a more aggressive concave on the Exway Flex. There’s also a slight W concave mainly in the middle which some people may like.
Accessories
The Atlas has a number of accessories designed for it that come in handy but you have to pay extra for them. I’ll quickly go over my thoughts on them.
I would get the handle. It’s much more comfortable than pulling the truck hanger or the motor guard.
If you have the 4WD Atlas, I would at least get a motor guard for the front, but the board might look nicer with one on each side.
I don’t have the sealed belt covers but they’re probably a good idea for places where stuff can easily get into the belt drive. I’m curious to see how well they keep stuff out and also how they affect maintenance.
The fenders work really well to protect you from splashes. They even have adjustable height to fit different size wheels. If you won’t be riding in wet conditions, then I don’t think these fenders are very necessary. They are convenient for mounting ShredLights though.
Save 10% on ShredLights at checkout by using this link!
Appearance
Exway Atlas has got to be one of the best looking electric skateboards with the best looking components. Just take a close look at the deck, the ESC covers, the baseplates, the trucks, the motor guards, the fenders, and even the tire treads. They’re all beautifully designed. They even have embossed labels on the pulleys, which is great for people with too many pulleys.
You know what this board doesn’t have? Obnoxious giant branding all over the board.
The way a board looks is so important. Look at any consumer electronic device that you own. Your Playstation, iPhone, camera, drone, rice cooker, water flosser, massager, whatever. They look more professionally made than most electric skateboards.
I’ve received multiple boards over $1000 that use zip ties. And why do most boards have terrible charge port covers? Most of them are built like somebody’s hobby project.
I don’t know what the boutique boards are like, but for boards around $2000 or less, I haven’t seen anything that comes close to the Atlas in build quality, even in its prototype form. From a distance, sure, they all look kind of similar. But once you look up close, you see a stark difference in the engineering and artistry.
But of course nothing’s perfect, and the Atlas has its share of flaws.
Shortcomings
This board is heavy and can be difficult to carry, especially the 4WD with street wheels. Because there are motors on both sides, you can’t just pick up the side with the motors like you would with 2WD.
I tried different ways to carry the board with street wheels, and in the end I find it’s best to just carry the board with both hands. Another option is to use an e-skate backpack if you have a couple minutes to pack. (Save $20 with my discount code!)
The remote could use a couple more buttons. Right now there’s a function for double click, triple click, quadruple click, and … 6 clicks – I don’t even know what to call that. I don’t think users would mind having one or two more buttons.
Click × 2: Cruise control
Click × 3: Reverse/Forward
Click × 4: Neutral steering (Tank Mode)
Click × 6: Top speed limit menu (for regional laws)
I’d also like to see an odometer on the display but Exway decided to put that in their mobile app.
The power indicator at low voltage can jump around quite a bit and be kind of confusing. And the percentage where the board stops accelerating seems to be different on every ride. I only ran into this issue because of doing multiple range tests. Normally I wouldn’t discharge the battery to that level but I think it’s still something that Exway could improve through a firmware update.
2WD or 4WD
If you’ve decided to get the Atlas, I hope I’ve given you enough info to choose between 2WD and 4WD. If you still have trouble choosing and price is not a factor, I’ll tell you what I prefer and my reasons.
4WD is an awesome concept and I love what Exway has done with it. But I live in a dense city where I have to frequently pick up the board and even carry it up and down stairs. So for me, lighter is better, and the 2WD Atlas already has more than enough power for my use cases.
However, if I were to live in a house in a US suburb – let’s say Fremont, California – I might prefer the 4WD. Unlike Shanghai, the Bay Area has lots of places that would be great for exploring on an all-terrain board. The 4WD might even come in handy.
Final Thoughts
The main reason I’m excited about the Atlas is because we finally have a mass production all-terrain board that has a build quality on par with the brand name consumer electronics we use everyday.
I know this sounds like a diss at all the other mass production e-skate brands, but too many of them have been taking the “chabuduo” approach.
Chabuduo is an ancient Chinese philosophy that means “good enough.”
Zip ties are an example of chabuduo.
Charge port covers that break or don’t stay in. “Aiya, chabuduo.”
Boards that are fucking ugly! “Chabuduo la! Meiguanxi!”
“Chabuduo” isn’t always a bad thing. In the startup world, “chabuduo” is known by other phrases like “minimum viable product,” “Pareto Principle,” “80/20 rule,” “Done is better than perfect.”
The “chabuduo” philosophy allows these companies to bring ideas to market really fast with low risk and high reward. And as a result, we end up with a bunch of boards that are just marginally better than the previous generation boards – because they’re good enough to sell, or “chabuduo.”
But if you think every Chinese company is like this, you’re wrong. I’ll give you two examples that are very popular here on YouTube: DJI and Insta360. Both make some of the best products in their respective industries, and both are Chinese companies headquartered in Shenzhen.
Even people who promote the idea that if a product is from China it must be bad use products from Chinese companies. Maybe they didn’t know they’re using Chinese products.
Another company, also from Shenzhen, that does not take the “chabuduo” approach in their products is Exway.
While most other mass production e-skate brands are doing the bare minimum to make better boards, Exway has implemented new features and created entirely new parts with every single new board they put out.
The Exway Atlas isn’t for those looking for the most range or the lowest price. It’s for those willing to spend a bit more for much higher quality. Innovative boards like this is what pushes the industry forward and is what the future of consumer electric skateboards should look like.
Recently I measured the range on my pre-production Exway Atlas in 4WD configuration with the stock all-terrain kit. I’ve already done range tests in the other stock configurations:
This test was performed with the original 518 Wh battery with 12S4P 18650 Samsung 30Q cells. Due to a shortage of 18650 cells, the Atlas has switched to using 21700 cells in 12S3P, and still 518 Wh. The performance of the new battery is expected to be similar.
Also, note that the front motors on my Atlas are the smaller prototype motors (less efficient), and the rear motors are the larger final motors (more efficient), and both sets were configured to their maximum power. Normally the power for the front motors should be reduced.
I went exploring today and found this path covered in leaves and twigs.
Remember, lots of things affect range so please read through the ride conditions. This post isn’t a full review. This is only covering my recent range test.
Conditions
I rode from 98% battery down to 13%. My unit has an issue with the BMS or something so it wouldn’t let me charge to 100%. At around 10% or so, I got a 4% low voltage warning. After clearing the warning, the battery indicator was back to 12%, and then 13%. The indicator percentage seems to fluctuate when the battery is near empty. (Exway tells me this is normal at low voltage.)
The mudguards protected my pants and shoes from the nasty water.
For this ride I was using speed mode 3 (out of 4) almost the entire time. Unlike my previous tests, I didn’t use full throttle very much this time. I went exploring and the places I ended up didn’t have many clear straightaways. The terrain I rode on this time wasn’t very smooth, but wasn’t too bumpy either. There were lots of dust and cracks. They are paths that I would generally avoid if using longboard wheels.
My weight was 79 kg since I was carrying a bit more stuff. The weather was 18 ºC (64 ºF) when I started and about 16 ºC (61 ºF) when I stopped.
On the Ride app I got 24.6 km (15.3 miles), and on the watch 22.7 km (14.1 miles). Like I mentioned earlier, I stopped at 13%. I probably could have eked out another kilometer but I had to take a dump and I happened to be next to a mall.
This rear mudguard is positioned to protect the rider but not so much the ShredLight and anyone behind the board. It can be flipped around.
Exway’s website claims 27 km (16.8 miles) for 4WD all-terrain which isn’t too far off from what I got. If I had stayed at a more constant speed and picked a smoother route, I probably could have gotten their claimed range.
Also, the finalized Exway app is supposed to let you adjust the power for the front and rear motors separately. That may affect the range as well. For normal everyday use, I would set the power for the front motors very low, or even set the board to 2WD.
Exclusive Offer
If you plan on getting an Exway Atlas, don’t miss my special deal: $30 off, plus a pack of stickers, plus a $25 DFFECTIVE gift card! Using my offer also helps me earn a little commission.
A wheel flew off during this range test LOL! I felt the back veer to one side, skidded a bit, couldn’t control the board and ran off. I didn’t even know a wheel had come off until I looked back at the board. Found all the pieces except for the nut and speedring.
It was my own fault. I looked through photos and saw that I didn’t tighten the wheel nut. See what happens when I don’t follow my own advice? Check all fasteners regularly!
If you zoom in on the wheel at the far left, you can see that I didn’t tighten the nut.
Anyway, on with the range test stuff. Remember, lots of things affect range so please read through the ride conditions. This post isn’t a full review – it’s only covering my range test on the Exway Atlas 4WD with street wheels.
This test was performed with the original 518 Wh battery with 12S4P 18650 Samsung 30Q cells. Due to a shortage of 18650 cells, the Atlas has switched to using 21700 cells in 12S3P, and still 518 Wh. The performance of the new battery is expected to be similar.
Also, note that the front motors on my Atlas are the smaller prototype motors (less efficient), and the rear motors are the larger final motors (more efficient), and both sets were configured to their maximum power. Normally the power for the front motors should be reduced.
Conditions
Since this range test was interrupted by the wheel flying off, I had to do it in two parts. In the first part, I rode from 98% battery down to 28%, which was when the wheel came off. And then later that night I rode from 28% down to around 13% when the acceleration had dropped significantly.
The remote was showing 13% when I decided to stop the range test. After I let go of the throttle, the remote went to a warning screen showing 3% battery left. The power measurement seems to fluctuate more when the battery is low.
I tried to stay at around 30 km/h (19 mph) but often had to slow down for traffic and whatnot. I was also stopping here and there to take photos.
I was in speed mode 3 most of the time and only switched to mode 4 a couple times to test the acceleration and top speed at about 80% battery and again at about 50% battery. Got 47 km/h (29 mph) at 80% and 43 km/h (27 mph) at 50%.
Although the top speed dropped at 50% battery, I did not notice a difference in torque. I didn’t measure scientifically but staying on the board at full throttle from a standstill was still a challenge.
In mode 3, the top speed was about 35 km/h (22 mph), and at below 50% it dropped to about 30 km/h (19 mph). At 25% it was something like 25 km/h (16 mph) and the torque reduction was noticeable. Again these were top speeds at mode 3. The top speed was always higher in mode 4 but I didn’t want to measure that too much during a range test.
In the first part of the range test, my weight was 78 kg (172 lb). The weather was 20 ºC (68 ºF) when I started, and then dropped to 18 ºC (64 ºF) by the time the wheel came off. During the second part, my weight with an added jacket was 79 kg (174 lb) and the weather was 14 ºC (57 ºF).
Results
For this ride, I measured the distance using the Ride app and my GPS watch for both parts. In the first part, I got 27.7 km on the Ride app and 26.17 km on the watch. In the second part, I got 6.2 km on Ride, and 5.74 on the watch.
So in total, the range results were 33.9 km (Ride) and 31.91 (watch). Let’s call that 33 km or 20.5 miles. That’s roughly 18% less range than the 40 km or 25 miles I got in 2WD with street wheels.
If you plan on getting the Exway Atlas, check out my special deal: $30 off, plus a pack of stickers, plus a $25 DFFECTIVE gift card! Using my offer also helps me earn a little commission.
I actually completed a range test on Exway Atlas 2WD with street wheels (90mm, 36T pulleys) two weeks ago. Just didn’t get around to writing about it so here goes.
Remember, lots of things affect range so please read through the ride conditions. This post isn’t a full review. This is only covering the range test.
This test was performed with the original 518 Wh battery with 12S4P 18650 Samsung 30Q cells. Due to a shortage of 18650 cells, the Atlas has switched to using 21700 cells in 12S3P, and still 518 Wh. The performance of the new battery is expected to be similar.
A rock briefly got stuck between the motor and motor guard, leaving a streak on the motor and pushing it inward a bit. I noticed the belt grinding while braking and stopped to readjust belt tension.
Conditions
I rode from 98% battery down to 8% when the board stopped accelerating. After a few minutes the indicator was back up to something like 12% if I remember correctly. I thought the smart battery wasn’t supposed to deviate that much. Oh well. I rode from 98% battery because my unit has an issue with the BMS or something so it wouldn’t let me charge to 100%.
For this test I was riding in speed mode 3 (out of 4) almost the entire time. I would expect less range in mode 4 and more range in mode 2. The acceleration and brake strengths were set to max in the app.
According to the Ride app, I hit a top speed of 47.8 km/h, or 29.7 mph, in mode 4. That might have been a fluke, or maybe I was on a downhill slope, because Exway claims 43 km/h as the top speed in 2WD street. I don’t remember the top speed of mode 3 but I think it was in the mid 30s km/h.
In my range tests I normally try to stay around 25 to 35 km/h. Not completely sure if that was what I did for this test since it was two weeks ago but probably.
My weight was 78 kg and the weather was 24º C (75º F).
Results
For this ride I measured the distance using the Ride app and my GPS watch. I couldn’t use Exway’s app because the beta app for setting gear ratio and wheel size for Atlas is only available on Android and I’m on iPhone.
On the Ride app I got 42.8 km (26.6 miles), and on my watch I got 39.5 km (24.5 miles). Exway’s website claims 54 km for 2WD with street wheels. Well I didn’t get very close to Exway’s number. For a 518 Wh battery I thought I would get more than around 40 km, but for me personally I’m fine with that result. I was tired by the end of the test anyway and was looking forward to recharge the board and myself.
By the way, just something I thought was kind of neat: the torque on 90mm wheels with 36T pulleys felt the same as the pneumatic 160mm with 56T. I didn’t measure scientifically or anything but just from feeling, they felt the same.
Anyway, next I’ll measure 4WD.
Exclusive Offer
If you plan on getting an Exway Atlas, check out my special deal: $30 off, plus a pack of stickers, plus a $25 DFFECTIVE gift card! Using my offer also helps me earn a little commission.
Shanghai – and possibly all of China – doesn’t allow personal electric vehicles to be used on public roads, and not even sidewalks. The enforcement of that rule varies a lot. Sometimes the traffic cops ignore me, sometimes I get a warning, sometimes I get fined. Yesterday was the first time they took away the board. It was the Exway Atlas during my 2WD street wheels range test.
The officers told me I need to go to a police station on Monday to get the board back. Sounds simple enough. That means I have to postpone the big comparison shoot I had planned for Monday. The problem is that while the board is confiscated, it will likely be kept outdoor along with the confiscated cars and scooters – and the next couple days will be raining.
That is a huge problem. Electric skateboards and other PEVs (and most electronics in general) should not be left out in the rain, even if they claim to have some kind of IP rating. Water finds its way into places if you give it enough opportunity.
Best case: some replaceable parts get rusty. Worse case: something gets corroded and the board loses performance or fails. Even worse: the board catches on fire while charging or riding. And the very worst case: everything seems fine but weeks later the board starts shooting flames at home while unattended.
When I go get the board back, I’ll find out if it was left outside in the rain. If so, I’ll have to take everything apart as much as I can and carefully inspect them. Sigh.
Yesterday I measured the range on my pre-production Exway Atlas in 2WD configuration with the stock 160mm all-terrain wheels and 56T pulleys. Remember, lots of things affect range so please read through the ride conditions. This post isn’t a full review. This is only covering my recent range test.
This test was performed with the original 518 Wh battery with 12S4P 18650 Samsung 30Q cells. Due to a shortage of 18650 cells, the Atlas has switched to using 21700 cells in 12S3P, and still 518 Wh. The performance of the new battery is expected to be similar.
Conditions
I rode from 98% battery down to 8%. My unit has an issue with the BMS or something so it wouldn’t let me charge to 100%. At 8% the board stopped letting me accelerate but I could still brake – this is normal on Exway boards.
For this test I was riding in speed mode 3 the entire time. (Mode 4 is the highest.) I would expect lower range in mode 4 and higher range in mode 2. The acceleration and brake strengths were set to max in the app.
About half of my ride was in full throttle, which was limited to 34 km/h (21 mph) in mode 3. (Mode 4 gets me to 43 km/h or 27 mph.) The other half was in slower traffic with more stops and starts. I carved a bit but was mostly riding straight. The terrain was mostly flat asphalt roads with some gentle slopes on bridges.
My weight was about 74 kg and the weather was an unusually warm 24º C (75º F). Shanghai sometimes gets warm and humid right before a bout of rain.
Results
On Exway’s app, which measures speed and distance based on the numbers you enter for the wheel size and gearing, I got 32.2 km (20.0 miles). On the Ride app, I got 30.9 km (19.2 miles). Exway’s website claims 30 km for 2WD all-terrain but doesn’t state the ride conditions. I was a bit surprised but pleased to see that my numbers are close to their claim.
Again note that this range test was on the 160mm all-terrain wheels and 56T pulleys, which are what most buyers will use since those are the stock parts.
Atlas 2WD’s 2-in-1 combo includes 90mm urethane wheels with 36T pulleys, which Exway’s website claims would get up to 54 km (33.6 miles). Exway also sells separately wheels in 85mm and 80mm, and pulleys in 26T and 44T, so you can further fine tune the board’s performance.
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I recently got the pre-production Exway Atlas back from Exway after they installed the bigger final motors and changed a couple other things. I wrote down some thoughts which I was going to post on Instagram, but if I write anything about Atlas there I’ll be asked a bunch of questions that I don’t know the answers to yet. So I’m posting here instead.
Atlas! I had a blast with 2WD and Turbo! This is the first board with double kingpin trucks and all-terrain wheels that I’m comfortable riding at over 40 km/h. Didn’t tighten the trucks or anything. At one point I hit a bump that would have caused a more violent wobble on another DKP AT board but instead Atlas just swayed a bit and straightened out.
This was 2WD with 160mm wheels and 56T pulleys, and the bigger final motors. Unweighted top speed shows 46 km/h on the remote and I topped out at 43 km/h. I was 77 kg during the ride.
Used up 60% of the battery and rode 21 km, so a depleted battery would have been about 35 km (100 * 21 / 60). I know that’s not the best way to estimate range – I’ll range test another time.
First half of the ride was in mode 3, doing some carving. Second half was in mode 4 with Turbo and being a slight dick to cyclists and other motorists. Sorry but I had half a cup of coffee this morning and I’m not a coffee drinker. I wanted to see how fast I could go and how fast I could corner, so lots of hard brakes and hard acceleration (during second half of ride).
I generally don’t like DKP trucks for more aggressive rides but Atlas’s trucks are a surprising exception. And these pre-production trucks aren’t even CNC machined yet – the bushing seats look all lumpy – but I feel they perform well anyway.
For those who want DKP trucks for low speed carving, I think some people may feel like they need to change the bushings to softer ones or cones. No biggy, that’s really easy to do. For me the stock setup is just right.
Exclusive Offer
Get $215 off the Exway Atlas, plus a pack of stickers, plus a gift card!
Exway has started taking pre-orders for their highly anticipated Exway Atlas. I went through their product info page as soon as it was live and recorded my thoughts in the video above. I don’t have a sample board yet but I will be reviewing it soon.
Ready to buy?
If you’re set to buy one already, you can use my referral discount to save $165. When checking out at Exway’s website, enter two discount codes: DKWAN and EXWAYATLAS150.
If you have any trouble getting the discount, please contact me.
