With a number of recent documented crashes with new EUCs (TheBlackCobra, for example,) and a number of teardown videos raising questions about basic electrical safety of the shipped devices, is there anything we should be doing to raise the issue back with manufacturers?
While crash and/or burn stories tend to make better news than 'I rode my wheel today and nothing happened', it does seem that build quality is not to a standard that would be accepted if the devices were homologated for road use in the EU or US, for example (which may be a reason to legalise their use, and perhaps to encourage an intermediary body/company to push the design and quality aspects).
The following video is part 3 of 5 of a teardown of the Gotway MTen3 (it's a bit like finding out what goes into sausages, so you may prefer not to watch,) though it does give an indication as to why Gotway/Begode wheels seem to have more power under strain than other wheels.
Personally, I'd like to see far better design and quality controls, though I won't stop riding the wheels as a result. A bit like knowing that bacon is actually bad for you, but not being able to resist the smell of a bacon sandwich!
During the last year I teared down all of my wheels ... changing bearings of my RS, tightening screws in the Tesla and pure curiosity while tirechanging an converting to tubeless at mten3. I basically love what I am seeing. Especially for that price. Adn the manufacturers learn if you communicate properly. So improvement is on it's way.
Of course you can make everything better ... using titan for less weight would be great ... but at a cost. A better BMS ... connected to the BLE-Module were great and cheap by material, but would cost more in license fees. The question is: would you pay for that? Does this really enhance your userexperience or your value for money?
I personally prefer to take my silicone gun and make everything waterproof while doing some maintenance every rider should do on a regular basis when interested in staying healthy :-) ... spending more money for more performance in the future ... hopefully :-)
I think I partially agree in that the wheels themselves provide a great experience, though price is now becoming higher as the likes of Monsters and Shermans normalise the £/$2K plus level.
There are some basic engineering and safety aspects that I think should be adhered to. Overdriving batteries is one thing, but not protecting against thermal runaway is potentially very dangerous. A lot of the issues are likely never to be experienced, or that may only make themselves evident after a higher than normal mileage etc. I guess in a similar fashion if I was in a car accident I would hope that the airbag deployed correctly rather than discovering a long-standing wiring fault made it fail at the critical moment. There are some things that you should be able to rely on, and as a starter cut-outs should be mitigated in better design, especially as the speeds increase to levels likely to result in life changing or life ending injuries in a crash.
I religiously follow the rule "respect the beep" and never had any issues, be it offroad on very steep slopes or inclines or onroad at relatively high speed around 70 kph. I only heard the 5 beeps on the Tesla at the end of the actual battery life at 48 kph and some more frequently on the mten3 approaching the 40 kph with my 100+ kg. I do not wait and count to five, but immediately let go and slow down a bit.
I saw your video from the beginning to the end, although the picture was so shaky that I almost got seasick.
As long as the EUC community competes over who owns most wheels we will not see any change in quality. We can only wait and hope that a new manufacturer will enter the market which has the ability to produce high quality products. The quality we get from China is so bad. It would be good if they removed the last number on the price tag. Then we get closer to what the wheel is worth.
In any case, I have had a lot of fun with my two wheels, a lot of fun actually.
EUC's is a niche market, so the price for the quality we get is not fair. We need higher quality standards for sure, but at what price? If the Sherman and monster pro are at that price it's simply because they won't touch a huge quantity of sales. As for myself I can't take for the moment a wheel with a weight higher than 25kg. Living in at the forth level of a building without elevator. Also I've tried to convert people around me to drive it, but as soon as they have to try to stand on it they are scared and don't try longer than 2 minutes. This is a passion transportation tool, and with the way governments legalize it, we can see they don't want it to be too popular... In France we don't have the right to ride it at a speed higher than 25kph and the bill to pay if you do is totally over priced. Up to 1500€ for a PEV not limited to 25kph. Forbidden to drive for people under 12 years old and forbidden to drive in any road where the speed limit is higher than 50 kph, mean can't get out of the city. With my MSP HS that is allowed to be sold in France, if I respected French law, I only have the right to ride it on private property, with the authorization of the owner. But I use it 5 days per week to go to work 20 km away from my house on countryside road. I risk big anytime, if Police stop me and want to follow the rules, I loose my wheel with a big bill. Luckly most police officers doesn't know much about it and the rest think those law is stupid. How can a EU brand want to build and commercialize something like that ? Not even authorized in Germany, and heavier restrictions on some EU countries. It'll stay the way it is for a long time unfortunately for us, the users.
I'm actually happy with my Gotway MSP.. I've crashed it several times.. really hard too. Survived with minor scruffs, and a crack on the side panel. My major complaint.. the GOOP that's all over the circuit board.. anyone here know how to take that off???
The white silicon is here to avoid any cable unplugs while you are riding. To remove it you need to use a razor blade and being really cautious.
You can also repair cracks on Gotway's wheel, the is abs. So with acetone or abs glue you can easily fix them.