Many riders have questioned if the Onewheel GT is a 3 horsepower (HP) board. The short answer is yes, it has 3HP. The only true way to confirm it is to install a current reader in series with the lead cable to the motor and record the peak current delivered. All facts look like it is the case, here is the math behind it.
Horsepower refers to the power an engine produces like the Onewheel GT motor. It’s calculated through the power needed to move 550 pounds one foot in one second or by the power needs to move 33,000 pounds one foot in one minute. The electrical equivalent of one horsepower is 745.7 watts.
Horsepower = (Volts x Amps) / 745.7
(does not take efficiency into consideration)
If the battery can supply 30Amp in the new powertrain with a fully charged battery the max HP is:
HP = (75.6 x 30)/745.7 = 30Amp
Now the battery pack is a 18p2s (18 cells in series with a two in parallel)
A generic 21700 battery spec:
| Max. Continuous Discharge Current | -20°C ≤ T ≤ 5°C, 1C (4000mA) 5°C < T ≤ 45°C, 3C (12000mA) 45°C <T ≤ 60°C, 1.5C(6000mA |
The two parallel cells increase the discharge rate of the battery pack. So if the battery cell inside the Onewheel GT is a generic 5000mA 21700 cell the battery pack can safely discharge 30Amp (5000 x 3 x 2 =30000mA) this would give us a 3HP Onewheel.
There are also better cells that can handle higher discharge rates like Samsung 40T 21700 or Samsung 30T 21700.
Conclusion: The Power of the Onewheel GT
The Onewheel GT is marked as a 3 horsepower Onewheel and that’s is true when looking at the specification and the components of the board. The board has more torque and power when compared to the 2 horsepower XR. The reason is coming from the upgraded batteries going to NMC Lithium 21700.
