When comparing Inboard M1 vs Evolve Carbon GT Street, the Slant community recommends Inboard M1 for most people. In the question“What are the best electric skateboards?” Inboard M1 is ranked 5th while Evolve Carbon GT Street is ranked 12th. The most important reason people chose Inboard M1 is:
The wheels of M1 rotate freely, so you can ride it as a traditional skateboard when the battery is dead. A lot of boards, such as Boosted, have a belted drive which is much harder to push forward, making them a chore to ride without the motor.
Specs
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Pros
Pro You can use it as a regular skateboard
The wheels of M1 rotate freely, so you can ride it as a traditional skateboard when the battery is dead. A lot of boards, such as Boosted, have a belted drive which is much harder to push forward, making them a chore to ride without the motor.
Pro It's quiter than many other boards
Inboard has a hub motor, which means it's inside the wheel. It's quieter compared to boards with belt drives.
Pro Unique and convenient remote
The RFLX remote has a unique design that doesn’t rely on a lanyard or wristband. You can hold it and control the board with your palm open without worrying about dropping the controller.
Pro It's fairly weather-resistant
The in-wheel motor is coated and laminated, making it water-resistant. You don't have to worry much about riding during the rain. Still, it's best to avoid water as much as possible to prevent the wheel bearings from rusting.
Pro LED lights make riding safer
Headlights and taillights help with visibility on the road – not only for yourself but also for others who may not have otherwise seen you coming.
Pro Strong, flexible board
This board is made with a wood core and a composite overlay, similar to the materials used in skis and snowboards. This combination of materials allows for both strength and flexibility.
Pro It's a great option for pros
The majority of electric skateboards go as fast as 20 MPH, while the M1 can reach up to 24 MPH. It also has a rather stiff deck that greatly increases stability and makes the board easier to maneuver at higher speeds, which will appeal to pros.
Pro 1-year warranty protects your investment
A 1-year warranty is fairly long for an e-board. Warranties are especially important since most of the companies making electric skateboards are new. Also, most new companies offer only 3-month warranty, making this a great deal by comparison.
Pro Regenerative brakes that work at full charge
When the brakes are applied, the captured energy is used to provide extra charge to the battery. Applying the breaks on a downhill can refill around 30 to 40 percent of the energy required to get you back up.
It's worth noting that when the battery is at full charge, braking will cause the battery to spend energy to slow down. Once the battery is drained to about 95% of the charge, the regenerative breaking will again start working to fill up the battery.
Pro You can quickly swap batteries
You can easily replace Inboard's battery for a fresh one once it runs out of charge. This is convenient if you don't have the time or patience or a source of power to charge your board. Also, once you notice that the battery doesn't hold charge as well as it used to, you can simply replace it with a new one, instead of getting a whole new board. Not many other boards currently have the option to replace the battery pack so easily.
Pro Dual wheel drive
The motor is housed inside both of the back wheels. This gives the board much more power on inclines as well as stability while turning or shifting weight on the board.
Pro Accessories available within 2 weeks
All accessories (chargers, batteries, wheels, remotes) are ready for purchase on the Inboard website and ship out within 2 weeks.
Pro Can be controlled using your iPhone
The Inboard iOS app allows you to control your board with a smartphone, so there's no need to carry the remote around. There's an Android version as well, but it's still behind in terms of development. Currently, you can only use it for firmware updates.
Pro Battery charges quickly
A full charge takes about 90 minutes and lasts for 10 miles. This is good for those that commute less than 10 miles as they can charge quickly at work and still use the board by lunch.
Pro Comes with a travel bag
The Inboard comes with a travel bag (it is packaged inside of it for shipping). A lot of other companies offer bags that cost up to $100.
Pro You can carry it around fairly comfortably
At 14 lbs, M1 is lighter than the Boosted but heavier than the Marbel. While not the lightest board out there, it is still manageable if you need to carry it around.
Pro Maintenance-free hub motors
The hub motors mean that there are no belts to replace. Saves you money, time, and frustration in the long run. There are also no skid plates to replace.
Pro It has a good battery life
The range is up to 10 miles. Although this is not as good as Zboard 2, it is better than Boosted, which is around 7 to 8 miles. Still, it is quite a bit less than Marbel's 16-mile range. But with the option to swap in a spare battery to double your range to a full 20 miles, Inboard really stands out from the crowd.
Pro Release of new software every 4-5 month
Last software update was a 40% increase in torque. It made a huge difference and they will have more updates like that.
Pro Very impressive performace, suitable for pros
Being so powerful, this board will most likely appeal to experienced riders. It has a max range that's nearly three times more than what you'd get from the vast majority of boards out there. It's also faster, with a 26 MPH top speed, slightly beating the quickest competitors (such as Inboard M1 with 24 MPH top speed).
Pro Gorgeous design
The minimalist carbon color scheme and understated branding make this board a showstopper. A clean look that does not look like a hobbyist board, but something professionally manufactured with a touch of class.
Pro Suitable for city and off-road
This board comes with street wheels, but the all-terrain can be purchased separately. If you have both, the wheels can be swapped in and out fairly easily.
Pro Great stability at higher speeds
While the flex of a board like the Boosted can be great, It is not the best at speeds such as 42km/h, the GT's top speed with 97mm wheels. It can also be seen as a con for some people who just want to ride a board at decent speeds. Mainly the rigidity helps when going fast, as there will be less wobble or flex, which can easily throw the rider off their board, something no one wants at high speeds.
Pro Easily readable remote LCD screen
The remote is equipped with an LCD screen that feels much more advanced than your standard interface. You can get information, such as battery life or speed, from a quick glance.
Pro Great range
You can ride for up to 31 miles on the Street GT on just one charge. That's 2-3 times more than most boards.
Pro One of the highest-performing boards available
With a top speed of 26 mph and a 15- 31-mile range, this board is among the most powerful on the market. It can handle steep hills (up to a 25 percent grade) with ease.
Pro Solidly built
A 40" long board created out of custom molded carbon fiber and kevlar. This makes for a light but very strong deck that doesn't snap or break easily. Fastened underneath the deck is the battery, which has its own custom casing that doesn't add too much thickness to the board, though it does add considerable weight (as all batteries do). The casing allows the rider to feel confident that water and debris won't affect the battery.
Overall, a well thought out design with craftsmanship to match, that exudes toughness and reliability in its construction.
Pro You can ride it as a regular skateboard
The rider can just push kick the board when the batteries are dead, as the motor was designed to allow free spinning of the wheels when not in use. This is great for when the rider is out and about and the batteries die or a belt breaks.
Pro Huge selection of spare parts
Conversion kits, wheels, bearings, belts, chargers, hubcaps, inter tubes, battery casing, all parts for trucks (including bushings), are all parts you can order from their site, covering just about everything other than the motor itself. This is great for anyone who may lose or break any part of the board, as the spare parts are available and easily ordered.
Pro Easily maintained
Evolve offers a multitude of videos on how to change out parts on their boards, providing an easy way to learn how to properly maintain it. Coupled with the fact that plenty of spare parts are sold, it should be easy enough for any rider to obtain needed parts and fix their own boards when parts wear out.
Pro You can track ride stats in the free app
There are two companion apps, one for Android and one for iOS. You can use them to link on social media with friends who also have an Evolve board, as well as track riding stats, including GPS.
Pro Responsive customer service
The customer service tends to be pretty responsive and work with the customer when there are issues. Compared to some other popular brands that still have problems in this area, Evolve is a good choice for those who want to make sure to avoid that.
Pro Quickly charge the board (optional accessory)
A quick charger is available for purchase as an optional accessory that charges the board in 3 hours. This is 1-2 hours faster than the stock charger.
Pro Good warranty
The warranty lasts for six months from the time of purchase. While not the longest warranty, there have been very few complaints about the company not fulfilling their responsibilities. The warranty is listed on their site as covering "all defects in material and workmanship" for that six-month period.
Pro Fantastic turning radius
The turning radius of Evolve boards is quite good. Just lean into a turn and the board will follow with no issue. Some other high end boards have issue with this, Evolve does not. Definitely a perk for those that need to ride in areas with a lot of turns.
Cons
Con Battery range less than 5 miles
If you are over 200 lbs, expect to get less then a 5-mile range, not the 10-mile range as advertised.
Con Low torque
One downside to using a hub drive motor over a belt driven board is that the hub drive offers less torque for things like going up hills and may not have enough power for very large riders.
Con Bankrupt
The company has gone bankrupt, and no longer provides suport.
Con It’s a brand new company with no track record
The company does not have much experience in this market and has already begun to experience delays due to manufacturing. As with all startups, there’s the potential that the company will not exist in a year’s time, rendering warranties useless. Much of the technology is new and unproven.
Con Rather heavy
The M1 production board ended up being heavier than expected.
Con It's expensive
The price of this board is very expensive. $2K for a skateboard for most people is just not worth the money. There are good options available for much less.
Con Not easy to carry around
The board is quite heavy at 17-21 pounds, making for something that is not going to be the easiest to carry around when it is not being ridden. The large battery built into the device most likely adds to this issue.
Con Not waterproof
Water can get into the top deck of the board through the grip tape and damage the electronics.
Con The small motor pulley may wear out prematurely with aggresive riding, which requires you to replace the whole motor
You are obligated to get a whole new motor when your $3 gear wears out. Expect it to wear out quickly if you ride aggressively.
Con May be too rigid for some riders
For long-boarders who prefer a flexible board, the rigidity of the Evolve Carbon can be an issue. A flexible board offers a smoother ride at slow speeds, but the stiffer board offers more stability riding at higher speeds and carving around sharp turns.
Con GT remotes can control more than one board at a time
Some remotes may be tuned to the same frequency, allowing two or more boards to be controlled by one remote. While this will not happen to every board, the potential is there if many boards are around.
Con Carbon fiber deck has been known to crack
There may be issues if a crack develops in the carbon fiber deck. You can read more here.
Con Slow charging
It can take 4-6 hours to fully charge the board, which may be too long for some users. There is an optional fast charger cutting the charge time to 3 hours, but it does cost extra $89, which some people may not want to spend.
Con Resistance while not powered
For those that would like to push kick there will be a slight resistance to moving the board due to the belt drive train. This is something to consider for those that wish to use the board non-powered a lot. This is an inherent problem with all belt drive systems.
Con Optional all terrain wheels are unbalance and wobble at high speed
The all-terrain wheels are heavier on the nozzle size and unbalanced when spinning at high speeds, thus they can feel unstable. Luckily there is an easy fix of using car tire weights to balance the wheels.
Con Easy to move the board on accident
There is no dead-man switch on the controller, which could make for a potentially dangerous situation. This can lead to runaways when you accidentally bump the throttle on the remote.
Con May be unsafe on wet surfaces
This board goes pretty fast at 31 miles an hour, if you hydroplane or slip on a wet surface, there is a good chance you can get hurt falling off the board at that speed. This is why the manufacturer recommends not riding the board when it is wet outside.
Con No swappable batteries
There is no way to swap out the battery pack on this board. This means that there is no way to extend ones ride with a hot swappable extra battery pack. This also means the board will need to be sent in for service when the original batteries in the board will no longer hold a charge, as there are no replacement batteries sold to the consumer.
Con App feels like an afterthought
The companion app available (for iOS and Android) seems to be more an afterthought, as it does not really connect to the board in any functional way. It does not receive data from the board and it does not allow for changing of settings or upgrading of firmware. Mainly it is an app meant for tracking your usage, such a distances gone or areas ridden (which is recorded through GPS on ones phone, which isn’t always super accurate on speeds and mileage).
There has also been a lot of reports of the Android app crashing constantly, so for Android users, better apps are out there for tracking of the users rides.