Do Onewheels Have Regenerative Braking? – Read This Before Your Next Ride
What Is Regenerative Braking and do OneWheels have regenerative braking? All current models of the Onewheel have what is known as regen, or regenerative braking. This is a built-in function that allows the OneWheel motor to recharge the battery when you brake, slow down or coast going down a hill.
What Is Regenerative Breaking And How Does It Affect The Performance Of Your Onewheel?
Regenerative braking is when the battery recharges as the electric skateboard brakes or goes down an incline.
When not accelerating, the motor on the Onewheel has the ability to create a charge with the resistance caused by braking. This means the battery recharges itself as it goes downhill but not during acceleration. This regen may allow riders to increase their range and overall ride time but that all depend on how much braking or downhill riding is involved.
Regen might also slow your descent as the regenerative braking produced by the motor acts like mild braking.
To learn more about Onewheels, check out our complete guide.
Issues With Regenerative Braking
The potential of overcharging and damaging your battery is the only mechanical issue with regenerative braking.
The reason for this is that if you start your ride on a decline with a fully charged battery it might be possible for the regen of the motor to accidentally overcharge your battery cells which can cause serious damage to your battery. Normally this should not happen since the battery is built with a BMS (Battery Management System) system which prevents the battery from being overcharged or completely drained during a ride.
This BMS is a safety feature since overcharging or draining your battery dead can cause battery damage.
Another issue with the regenerative braking on a fully charged battery is that it might also cause your battery to suddenly shut itself off at 100% due to the BMS. A sudden automatic shutoff could lead to the board stopping mid-ride and you falling victim to a nosedive accident and loss of control.
This is not something that is common but for someone that lives on a high elevation or mountain and the beginning of your ride is all downhill you may need to take precautions.
Avoid Overcharging Due To Onewheel Regenerative Braking
To avoid overcharging or automatic shutoff, you can either only charge your board to around 90% if you live on an incline or you deactivate the regenerative braking system through the mobile app.
The Onewheel GT board comes with a handy feature where you can activate a charge limit of 90% using the Onewheel app, this will avoid potential overcharging if you know your trips start on a long decline.
To avoid full-battery pushback, check your battery pack before you ride. If you are at full charge and want to go downhill, you will need to use up some battery power first. Find an incline and ride up until your battery gets below 90%, then you will be ready to ride downhill. However, it is important to note that you should not ride down a very steep hill, according to Future Motion.
On the flip side, you mustn’t allow your battery levels to fall too low and battery management and proper charging are very important if you want to get a long lifespan from your battery.
Information on proper battery storage, proper charging, and more can be found in our Onewheel charging guide.
Do Onewheels Have Regenerative Braking? – The Bottom Line
Regenerative braking is just one of the ways Onewheel riders can extend the battery charge on their rides. Extending the ride on a full charge can also be done by respecting the rider weight limits and knowing the top speed limit of a board. To make the most of your Onewheel experience it’s important to know the inherent risks and safety warnings to avoid serious injury.
For a smooth ride, check the battery level before you start your next ride on your electric board. The best thing you can do before you ride is to make sure that you are wearing protective gear and following the signals your board gives you so you can have a safe and fun ride. When you experience pushback, make sure to move your balance to the middle of the board and figure out what is going on. You don’t want to end up over the nose of the board because of an abrupt stop.
Have you used the regenerative braking on your Onewheel board? Do you like it and feel it’s a useful feature? Let us know in the comments.
Ride Hard, Ride Safe
Graham and Team
