MEEPO V5 Extended Range Electric Skateboard - Making Entry Level Boards Fun Again
This board has a top speed of 28mph, weighs only 17.6 pounds, has a hands-free push start feature, easy pick up and go handle, free bashguards pre-installed, 4 speed modes that includes turbo, and an ESC that samples inputs from the remote at 1000 times per second. There are so much new technologies put into the board, it's hard to believe it costs only so little. Here is my in depth review of the 2023 all new Meepo V5 ER.
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Intro
The first thing I noticed was just how high quality this board feels in the hand. This is not something I expect from an entry level skateboard. The paint finish is smooth and detailed, the ESC and battery housing are well designed and give the underside of the board an extra premium look. Even the newly updated hub motor covers give the V5 a more aggressive look! The cables are well managed and you even get these really cool looking metal heat dissipation fins towards the back of the board on the ESC housing. Overall the general feel of the board just screams premium. There's nowhere on this board that stands out as being cheap or cost saving to me. So excellent job here Meepo.
Bushings
One thing I stood out to me are the bushing choices. This board uses a special kind of double barrel bushing that's 4mm taller than then a standard barrel bushing. A standard barrel bushing is roughly 15mm tall and this one installed on the V5 is 19mm. This new taller shape excels at maintaining stability at higher speeds while retaining most of the rebound energy for turning and carving at lower speed. I almost always tell every new board owner to spend additional money on a new set of bushings, but nope, these new bushings feel great. Just tighten them a little bit, they become super stable for higher speeds. Loosen them up slightly, they instantly become super responsive and carve-y. With this new bushing setup, you can transition this from a responsive carver board to a stable speed platform with a quick adjustment on the bushings tightness. In fact, I love these bushings so much, I'm actually going to get some of these 19mm tall bushings for my other boards as well.
Super Light Weight
This is something that doesn't get a lot of attention. But, This board is super lightweight and easy to carry. As compared to some competitors such as Uditer's W3, their comparable entry level board weighs in at 36 pounds! That's 2 times heavier than the Meepo V5 coming in only at around 17.6 pounds. This is so extremely important if you need to carry this board around with you after arriving at your destination.
Handle design
The Meepo V5 is my first board with a handle design. While I think it looks goofy at first glance, I quickly started to appreciate it. Especially in the 1 hand carrying department. Most of the boards I have are either too heavy to be carried with 1 hand or not balanced enough to be carried horizontally. I would usually just carry them by the trucks but because of how long these boards are, I always have to engage my biceps while carrying boards and that's not sustainable for longer distances. Or what I end up doing is just carrying the board with both hands. At only 17.6 pounds, this boards makes an amazing easy to carry one handed PEV that makes your commute so much convenient.
Top speed 28mph top speed
It's normal for eskate companies to oversell their top speed a bit using light weight riders. But, I clocked myself going at 27mph on the board. It took a while to get up to that speed. But it's super close to the advertised top speed that I'm going to say this is accurate, especially when I am a bit on the heavier side at 198 pounds. The acceleration is acceptable for a beginner board. It's powered by 2X 500W hub motors. It's extremely quite but powerful. It can hit higher speeds but you just need to be patient with it. The remote has 4 speed modes, I think they are all great for beginners. But I think the remote can use a little screen to display telemetry such as speed and odometer.
Range
For range. I got 14 miles out of the advertised 20miles for the Extended version of the board. I think that's to be expected as it's winter here and it's near freezing, so battery don't perform as well. Also I'm a quite heavy dude at 198pounds excluding gears. So I think in normal weather or if you are a lighter person, you can expect higher range than what I got. The ER edition uses 21700 Cells and the standard edition uses 18650 cells. I think it's worth $$ to upgrade for the higher range.
LY-FOC 1.0 ESC
The esc is able to read input from the motors at 1000 times persecond. Making this board a precise intrusment of speed and areyodynamics. It makes this board super responsive in terms of input from the remote which translates to quick and smooth acceleration and braking. The ESC also has metal fins built into it so it could dissipate heat effectively and keep the internal components cool.
Braking
The braking is quite strong for a beginner board. I don't think you'll have issues not stopping in time. It's not the smoothest brakes as I found it to be too responsive at higher speeds. But with practice and time getting used to this board, I think everyone will be able to get used to it.
Carving and turning
This board is flat and 11.1 inches wide. Making it incredibly comfortable for travel for an extended period of time. Even though the deck is flat, it's still incredibly responsive to turns and carvings. The board is composed of 8 layers of maple wood, making it flexible enough to absorb most of the road vibrations but still rigid enough to keep the rider stable during high speed rides. I feel incredibly comfortable going at high speeds on this board. Meepo definitely nailed deck performance here.
Push Start
I'm beginning to appreciate how amazing it is to have push to start on boards. No longer do you have to bend down, flip the board over and hold the power button for 3 seconds. Just turn on your remote and kick your board and go.
Free Bash guards
So, Yes. This is what I'm talking about. Including really useful accessories fully installed for free on the board. These guards are super useful, not just to protect the board from running into a wall, but it can enable you hold or place the skateboard in ways that would previous damage or scuff the board. I wouldn't hold or position my boards vertically without having a bash guard on. Other brands charge $20 dollars plus $25 shipping for them *cough exway. This just shows how much Meepo is thinking about their customers and their daily usage of the board.
Lastly just a recommendation, For Extended Range versions please call it Long Range or LR. This is what Tesla and major Evs are doing. Maybe even calling it pro/max/plus versions? Because in the US, ER stands for emergency room. I just couldn't stop thinking about hospitals and emergency rooms everytime I read the ER that stands for extended range.
Conclusion
The Meepo V5 is a feature packed, high value electric skateboard that can turn from a commuting tool instantly into a fun performance high speed cruiser. To anyone looking for an entry level electric skateboard, the Meepo V5 should be on top of your list.
