Lithium ion batteries have a higher energy density than dynamite.
Don't worry - it’s all safe and stable as long as the battery pack for our electric skateboard drivetrain is well monitored and managed. Badly designed skateboard battery cells or constant mistreatment lead to fire, flammable gases and even explosions.
'Thermal runaway' - aka 'venting with flame' - starts small and invisibly. Cheap or inadequate battery management causes damage to cells by letting them overheat, pulling too much current or forcing too much charge into them. This causes irreversible changes in chemistry or structure that leads to internal shorting. The battery's concentrated energy is turned inward in a chain reaction by rocketing temperatures that can spread to cells in close contact, like in cheap shrink-wrapped packs.
Not every battery failure makes the news – most just hit your wallet. Settling for bargain skateboard battery packs means that the originally rated 500 to 1,000 charge cycles will drop drastically, losing capacity and requiring a replacement much earlier.
How did Mellow design safety, performance and an electric skateboard battery life target of over 1000 discharge cycles?
Mellow deliberately avoided superthin and immature battery formats, selecting the dependable 18650-sized cell as used by Tesla and other electric vehicles. The model Samsung INR18650-20R used in our packs has a rock-solid reputation since 2013 and is easily capable of delivering high constant current for awesome torque while keeping cool.
Due to our low IR-MosFet technology and our proprietary pack design, the Mellow Battery Pack can provide very high currents (read acceleration) at any state of charge.
The care and feeding of lithium ion electric skateboard batteries
A lithium ion battery should be handled almost like an infant: cosy (flame-retardant) bedding, constant monitoring and gentle feeding. These particular babies will spend their time hanging on the bottom of a skateboard, hurtling downhill at over 40 km/h, or being banged against sidewalks, rocks, mud, and snapper turtles, so Mellow doubled (and tripled) down on battery pack design. The battery’s housing is made of a high impact strength PC-ABS material that offers great weight to strength ration and is almost impossible to break. Its waterproofness was approved under the requirements of IP65 for reliable function in rainy weather conditions.
Having external BMS and cell balancers is like hiring a babysitter from the shady pages of Craigslist. That’s why we’ve integrated such systems directly onboard in each Mellow battery pack. Inside the battery a custom made battery management system (BMS) monitors and protects each cell of the battery at all times. Moreover, our babysitter (uh…battery pack manufacturer) is experienced: 25 years in the business, supplier of Airbus and Siemens.
What you get with our electric skateboard battery pack
PERFORMANCE
• Industry-grade dedicated onboard Battery Management System (BMS) microprocessor
• Constant cycle life, state of health, voltage and temperature monitoring
• Drive rideable without pack (1 kg reduction)
• Waterproof (IP65) USB and charge port plugs (double gasket and hook)
• Automotive-grade Rosenberger (RoPD) power and data magnetic connector
• High current (3A) USB port for fast charging of devices -> Standalone power bank functionality
• 99Wh capacity (up to 15 full charges of an iPhone 6)
• up to 3 packs allowed in carry-on baggage when flying (up to 45 km range)
• One Touch Interface with 5 Segment (3 color) LED
PHYSICAL PROTECTION
• PC-ABS Housing
• Halogen-free LG brand injection plastic
• Drop-proof, anti-rattling external TPE rubber layer
• Dual inner anti-shock vibration-absorbing cell holders
• Waterproof IP65/67 battery connector
• Waterproof IP65 battery pack
• Integrated snap lock system with no mechanical parts that can fail
• Integrated GoreTex waterproof membrane for pressure/venting control when flying
PREVENTION AND SAFETY
• Max rated (UL-94 “5VA”) flame retardant inner cell holders and outer shell
• Cells air-gapped for higher heat dissipation
• Onboard electrostatic discharge protection - Deep discharge Protection & Over Charging Protection, Intelligent pre-charging
• Onboard cell balancing with 20 mV accuracy - Over Voltage & Under Voltage Protection
• Short Circuit & Over Current Protection
• Redundant onboard temperature sensors - Over Temperature Protection & Temperature Derating (Power Management)
• Monitoring of each cell - Precise state of charge (SOC), State of health
• Ultra-low resistance MosFET transistors for low heating
• 3 Microprocessors (Safety, SOC, Main Interface)
• Separated, fused charging path
Battery Pack Juice delivery
Mellow has eliminated two critical performance issues in other motorized skateboards on the market today, including pricier models: 'voltage sag shutdown' (following hill climbing due to inaccurate reading of batteries are empty due to voltage fluctuations) and 'regenerative brake shutdown' (braking cuts off or doesn't work on downhills due to full battery.)
The BMS uses triple fuel gauge measurements (voltage, Coulomb counting, Impedance Track) to accurately read battery level and eliminate false alerts. Mellow’s dual brake makes it immune to the dark side of regen braking, which shuts down or even damages full batteries on e-skates not equipped with a backup brake system.
Together with Mellow's custom high efficiency motors, the motorized skateboard battery pack safely delivers the power needed for speeds up to 40 km/h top speed, along with 20% hill climbing and 15 km range.
The transparent Battery Packs featured above are for demonstration purposes only. Production units are black with a TPE blue rubber layer.
