Electric Unicycles are gaining popularity and more and more manufacturers are joining the game. Still, they are quite expensive and a decent wheel will cost you above $1000. In this article, we’ll go over all the reasons that make an electric unicycle so expensive.
The Electric Unicycles are expensive as it’s a high-tech, low volume niche product that requires a big battery pack consisting of many cells to get decent performance. Battery cells are expensive and all research and development costs and custom tooling need to be recovered, all adding to the price.
Research expenses impacting the cost of the EUC
The concept of the Electric Unicycle is quite new to the market and most development has happened during the last 10 years. Like most new technologies there is always a premium price at the beginning of its lifetime. During the last few years, new cheaper wheels are hitting the market leveraging the advancements done by other companies.
The market for electric unicycles is no different than others and the big companies are spending money on features and development. As new unicycles are getting released older models are becoming obsolete. The company needs to recoup its cost for RND development cost with the new model.
Manufacturers have to scramble to reclaim their research expenditure before the next best thing reduces their chances of revenue recovery.
The Electric Unicycle is a low volume product
Even if the market is growing it’s still considered a niche market and a low volume product. All tooling costs, model-specific components, and other modifications will add to the overhead cost of the product.
The material and battery cost of the EUC
Some parts of the electric unicycle are custom-made for the niche, like the motor and controller platform. This adds to the price of the product as they are not produced on a large scale.
The battery is the heart of the system supplying the necessary power for the wheel to move forward and balance the rider. The motor needs to have a lot of torque and power-adding cells to the battery pack. Even if there has been a lot of development and advancement in the battery industry during the last 20 years, still the battery pack is always considered the main contributor to the price of any PEV (personal electrical vehicle) This is independent of its EUC, electric scooter or even a car.
A high-power EUC with some good range will cost as it requires a high-voltage battery pack with a lot of cells in parallel to increase the capacity of the pack.
It’s not just the battery that’s the reason for the expensive price of the EUC. An average high-end unicycle will cost you around $2000. Read the following post for a better breakdown of the EUC cost and features.
Conclusion
Electric Unicycles are expensive, but what you get is a totally unique riding experience and for some, the unicycle is well worth every dollar they spend on it. It’s a practical small personal vehicle that can be seen as a recreational or transportation device. If you are living in the right place, it can both cut down the cost and add more thrill to your everyday commute to work.
