When your new to Onewheel, the reported mileage ranges may seem like plenty. Whether its an older XR, Pint X (PX) or GT, as you ride more often you realize that battery range is the value you start to obsess over. Pint X has the same size battery as the discontinued XR model which can deliver up to 12-18 miles (19-29 km). Even with this battery (324 watt hours), you still see Pint X, XR and even GT riders looking for more range.
This article covers the best ways to extend and get more range from your Onewheel starting with the least invasive ways. You can always attempt open heart surgery on your board (battery swap), but there are other alternatives to getting good mileage from your Onewheel.
Proper Battery Maintenance of your Onewheel
First and foremost is preserving your battery by doing proper maintenance. Please see our post on proper battery maintenance. Lithium-Ion batteries do degrade over time. How we maintain the batteries will determine how fast that degradation occurs.
Check our post but in short, avoid over-using a Hyper-charger, never stow the board fully charged or at 0% and keep the board stored around room temperature. Doing the right house keeping on your Onewheel, will ensure it performs to expected range for years.
Lower Your Weight and Change Your Riding Habits
Obviously, the less you weight, the less stress is on the Onewheel’s motor allowing for more range. Riding Onewheel has become a reason for me to shed some pounds. Not only can you lose a little weight to improve your mileage but you can adjust your riding style.
Adjusting your riding style can conserve battery power. This includes slowing down, avoiding steep inclines, and coasting whenever possible. Avoid riding in extreme temperatures. Cold days will impact your riding range. You can also inflate your tire to 18 to 20 PSI and take advantage of regenerative braking when you can to improve mileage.
Purchase a Portable Battery Back-up Charger For Your Onewheel
Because the Onewheel’s charge is demanding, it is not advised to charge it directly into your car for a charge unless you have built in 110 volt outlet in the vehicle. Future Motion does sell a 10 amp car charger however even then, you need to be mindful of other devices so that you do not overload your car’s electrical system. A better alternative is to purchase a portable battery bank where you can plug your board into while its plugged it into your car for additional power when its not in use.
I purchased a Jackery battery back-up that I use weekly. I will charge my board while I take a break or if I’m driving in between trails. Its just a clutch way to get added range to your Onewheel.
Now I bought a 240 watt hour battery back-up because at the time I only had an XR. Remember: The XR is a 324wh battery. This means, if you do not have this Jackery plugged in for more power, the most you can get from it is about 70% power charge.
I recharge at around 30% or so anyway (as I don’t like riding with low battery) so it doesn’t bother me. It works well for Pint, Pint X and XR.
In late 2021, I converted my XR to a JWXR (similar to a CBXR. Both JWXR and CBXR have the same sized battery just made by different companies). This is a battery modification that upgrades the 324wh to a 567wh. The range improvement is huge (up to 32 to 40 miles)! but now the Jackery does not charge this as much (only charges my JWXR about 40%). Since then I also now have my GT which has a 524wh battery. To get more charge into these boards, I need a bigger battery power station.
I was able to find a 510Wh portable power station battery backup for cheap (check amazon price)! Sure there’s larger ones but for the price, this one gets even my JWXR (CBXR) to 100% as I’m typically charging at around 20 to 30%.
Charge at an EV Station
Onewheels can charge up at an electric vehicle car charger. Many EUC’s charge using these stations and so can Onewheels. Future Motion’s charger allows for 200V which is the output on EV charge stations. The only issue is that you cannot directly plug your charger that has a standard plug outlet on it right to the charger.
You need a J1772 to NEMA 5-15/5-20 EV Charger. You can find these at TucsonEV. This takes the EV output to accepting a standard plug receptacle. Its important to note however that these chargers put out 220V. Future Motion chargers can take 220V however you do not want to charge anything else in these stations like your portable power station.
These are great because if you are aware of where these are located, you can just carry your charger and the J1772 adapter on your ride. Take a little break on your ride and charge up!
VnR / CnR Your Onewheel For More Range
Vamp ‘n ride or charge ‘n ride is what these two acronyms stand for. This method is essentially supplying the stock battery with added battery as you ride (hence the [and] ‘n ride part of the acronym). These are considered to be parallel battery range extenders as they work in conjunction with the enclosed battery. This is a modification that involves adding an external battery to supplement the internal one, resulting in augmented range.
VNR kits sold online may void the warranty so this may be an option for those boards already out of warranty. Starting in early 2020, there are riders who started reporting that their board was bricked by a software patch released by Future Motion. So it is highly important that if you choose this option for improving your Pint, XR or GT’s battery, that the firmware and hardware are compatible with the system you get.
The GT40 Range Modification Kit is one of the most popular VNR-style range extender for a Onewheel Pint. Technically its not vamping as vamping requires biting into the battery leads however its similar in that its an external battery. Seen in the image, the extended battery of a VNR style mod utually sits typically on top of the fender and connects directly into the Onewheel. The GT40 mod essentially triples your range on the Pint to about 30 miles (48km).
The GTMod is plug and play. The benefit here is that you do not tamper with the OEM battery seal. Check out GTMod.com for this awesome upgrade to the stock pint. It comes with its own power management system as well as all the parts, tools needed to install and to secure the included battery to the fender.
The main cons with going with an extended battery setup like this is you are adding weight to the board. You also have to be concern with rollovers as the connectors can be damaged after a crash. They do sell aftermarket protection pieces however it is always a concern. Another main drawback is you cannot use the Future Motion App while riding or you will get an Error 16. Another minor con to the set up is that it limits the view of the LED bar on the footpad while riding, but for the incredible range of having a total of 8aH of battery life, it may be worth the mod (97wH, 5 aH battery attachment).
This kit works with hardware 5314 or lower and software versions pre- Gemini 5050. See their website for 5050 software as it may require additional modification.
Pint VnR setups are mods that bite (vampire-style) into the main leads of the battery. Its a parallel battery arrangement that works with the OEM battery. Sometimes you may see a curved shape battery similar to the GT40 where other times you may see riders use power tool batteries. Because tool batteries are made to discharge quickly, their battery cell structure is typically ideal. Plus their usually extremely rugged and serve a dual purpose.
ChiBatteries and JW Batteries Battery Replacements
The more refined way to getting extra range from your Onewheel is to upgrade the stock battery. Sometimes this is easier said than done as many firmware versions for the Pint, Pint X, XR and GT do not easily allow for such modification to be done without typically adding a chip to the install. Pints with this battery upgrade are called “Quarts”, XR’s are called “CBXR or JWXR” and now there is “CBGT” for the Onewheel GT.
The CBGT Onewheel by ChiBatteries
The CBGT Onewheel is a plug and play battery replacement for the GT Onewheel bringing the watt hours to a CBXR level (from 525wh to 567wh) *not confirmed as of yet. Its a nominal gain and really intended to be a battery replacement for the GT Onewheel when its out of warranty. These will be sold by Chi Batteries. The modification will require the use of the ReWheel app so that you can bypass bricking the board.
The added power gain will make the GT a little more responsive but this upgrade is the least in comparison to prior models. For this reason, its really considered a nominal upgrade. You are not getting a good value for the cost of a new battery. This modification makes sense when your stock battery is degraded to a degree where you do not get the mileage you once did.
CBXR & JWXR Onewheels by ChiBatteries and JWBatteries
This battery swap is for the XR models. This takes the stock 324wh to an incredible 567wh. The range outperforms the GT. This upgrade is an easy swap for hardware models pre 4210. Anything after requires a FFM Chip which may either require cutting into the BMS or just soldered. In any case, this is quite the operation on the XR that may damage the board’s BMS or controller if you do an improper install.
Going with either JW Batteries or ChiBatteries is a personal decision. Because my XR required a chip, I went with JWBatteries as they gave a deal for it. They also have a copper edition which I purchased (I like to affectionately refer to as a ‘CopperHead XR’).
On their website there are some reported benefits of having their copper edition battery over their traditional nickel one. The main reason I went with it is for the stronger welds. I want this battery and board to last!
Popularity-wise, ChiBatteries is more prevalent in the wild. You will come across far more CBXR’s over JWXR’s but just know they are the same size battery. Does quality vary? I think its a nominal consideration. I have over a 1000 miles on my JWXR and it still gets incredible trail range.
The Quart by ChiBatteries
This is a Pint battery upgrade. Doubling the drink size from a Pint to a Quart is where the name originates from and this battery modification seriously takes you from 6-8 mi (10-12.8 km) for a stock pint and pushes it up to 15 miles (24km). See the original Pint’s specs. These boards are only equipped with 148 wh battery. The Quart modification pushes this to 230 wh.
As stated above, ChiBatteries tends to be the favored aftermarket battery. This modication only really has the drawback that it also may require chipping.
It is confirmed working with hardware 5314/Software Gemini 5050 and prior. There are current bugs with software Gemini 5059, regardless of hardware version.
Because of the price, I would not recommend this modification only because the Pint X is now available and the Pint X has a higher top speed so pushback isn’t as prevalent at lower speeds. If this isn’t much of a concern then this still is a great and viable way to improve your original Pint’s range.
Consider a Floatwheel or VESC build.
The Floatwheel has a larger battery than the Onewheel GT which gives the board more power and more range. VESC and Floatwheels alike are not tuned right out of the box like a Onewheel. However if you like tinkering and tweaking, the Floatwheel or a VESC build can result in drastically improved mileage gains.
Conclusion
If you are new to Onewheel and are seeking a onewheel, check out our buying guide on buying Onewheels. Besides, costs, this guide will cover what you can expect from your potential purchase allowing for you to make an economical and informed choice. Each Onewheel has abilities to improve the range. I find the easiest way to improve range is to buy the largest battery that comes on a one wheel (Onewheel GT), and keep a power station in the car. More cost savvy ways will get similar results and it will depend on what used prices are looking like when you buy your Onewheel.
In general however, its sage advice to always just have a battery back-up in the car. I even use mine on camping trips so I rationalized the purchase for using it on other household trips. This is an optimal buy for those who do drive to a trail ahead of time. Just leave it in the trunk and have that emergency power on hand!
F.A.Q.’s
Yes, both have the same sized battery and provide the same range. Unfortunately the XR is discontinued and can only be purchased second-hand.
No confirmed date as of yet however I would anticipate it being released Spring or Summer 2023.
By avoiding opening the battery or controller box. Anytime you open either, you void the warranty (if it remains) and compromise the integrity of its water-resistance and possibility of bricking the Onewheel. If you have not completed a battery modification or VNR mod, its advisable to seek help from a professional shop such as Stoke Life Services. The safest modification is to not do one but to supplement the battery instead.
No. This modification is intended to shed some weight while having faster charge times. It only allow s for 8-10 mile range which is a downgrade for the XR (230 WH). Unless you are building a stunt board only, this does not help with range.
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