InMotion V12HT electric unicycle review: I have no business on a high power wheel
Nothing in my life is telling me “You should definitely hop on a high power electric unicycle,” and yet I’m glad I decided to do it anyway. After testing a smaller and lighter InMotion electric unicycle last year, the company offered me a chance to try out a significantly more powerful InMotion V12HT. And it was quite eye-opening.
The InMotion V12HT is much, much more powerful than the beginner V5 wheel I previously tested.
Unlike the cute little 20 km/h (12 mph) beginner wheel I started on, the InMotion V12HT is a 60 km/h (37 mph) beast.
But it’s not just fast. It’s also high power. The 2,800W motor has more power than I could ever need, offering not just fast speeds but also serious climbing ability. The motor can power this wheel up a 45-degree slope, which you’d have trouble walking up – let alone rolling up.
Combined with the massive 1.75 kWh battery (divided into two 875 Wh packs), that means you’ve got some serious EV gear shoved into a single wheel. It also makes for some serious range, to the tune of 96 miles or 154 km.
There’s no suspension in this wheel, but the 3″ off-road tire does give you more cushioning than you’d expect. I did both asphalt and dirt/grass riding, and I never felt like the lack of suspension was an issue. If you’re hopping down from waist height boulders then you may beg to differ, but that ain’t me.
And therein lies the conundrum here; I’m not really a high performance electric unicycle guy. And this is definitely a high performance electric unicycle. But even an average Joe like me can see the utility of a wheel like this, and of course the fun factor, too.
The device is faster than nearly any electric bicycle I’ve tried while also being much more portable than any e-bike that comes close to its range or speed.
Despite the massive weight of 65.6 lb (29.7 kg), the InMotion V12HT feels easy to roll around thanks to its folding push bar that lets you walk it next to you while it uses its self-balancing feature to stay vertical.
While I feel more comfortable on electric bikes, I can’t deny that an electric unicycle can be more convenient. I don’t have to worry about locking it up at a destination since I can just bring it inside. I don’t have to worry about where I’ll park or store it, since in a pinch I could park it under my chair.
It may not have the cargo capacity that my e-bikes do, but I even discovered another fun feature that nearly makes up for it – you’re handsfree while riding it.
That means I can easily carry a few bags of groceries in my hands, despite not having any real storage on the vehicle itself.
Is it easy to learn to ride an electric unicycle?
The short answer is, “No, it’s not easy to learn.”
That’s nothing against EUCs, they just aren’t intuitive. A small segment of the population can probably pick it up in a day. Another small segment will probably never succeed to ride one. But for most of us, you’re probably looking at a couple days to a couple weeks of hopping on, falling off, and hopping back on until your brain finally gets it.
But once it clicks, you’ll be in for a seriously fun ride. And with a powerful wheel like the InMotion V12HT that has room to grow with you, you’ll be able to take that adventure just about anywhere. The powerful motor and large diameter wheel make quick work of just about any type of terrain, meaning you could be a commuter or an adventure rider on the same day.
At around US $2,100, it’s not a cheap way to get around. And I’d probably recommend a smaller wheel to learn on, though learning on this one would certainly work too. But this would be a big investment only to discover that riding around on a single wheel isn’t for you, so it’s probably advisable to start on a more economical wheel.
But if you’re someone who has tried an EUC, already knows that you like it, and now you’re looking for an upgrade, I can see this as a great option. It’s got the power and speed for just about anyone, and it will be a long time before you outgrow it for something even more powerful.
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British Columbia got its first 400 kW DC fast charger last week at Canadian C-store chain On The Run, but that’s not the good part. As part of a limited time offer, these chargers are FREE!
The Canadian convenience store chain just took the wraps off its new, ABB-developed, 400 kW chargers earlier this month, but they’re already planning to bring the ultra-fast 400 kW dispensers to at least four more locations in BC this spring, and have them online just in time for the summer road trip season – something On The Run hopes its customers will appreciate.
“The A400 charger delivers an enhanced customer experience, with reliability and performance from a 32-inch screen to higher power charging sessions and power sharing,” reads the company’s official announcement, via LinkedIn. “Download the Journie Rewards app to start the charge – free for a limited time.”
On The Run’s new 400 kW ABB DC fast chargers are compatible with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs, and can accommodate Tesla and other NACS-equipped vehicles with an adapter. That said, the company seems to imply that Tesla drivers in particular will have a maximum charging speed of “just” 50 kW, which feel hilarious (given the current state of affairs between Tesla and the Canadian government), but probably isn’t.
In addition to the ABB A400 400 kW units shown here, On The Run locations also employ the ABB Terra 184 dispensers rated at 180 kW. On The Run plans similar deployments at the four BC locations mentioned above, as well as two more each in Quebec and Ontario slated to go live towards the end of this year.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla’s controversial CEO Elon Musk once mocked 350 kW charging speed as being “for a child’s toy,” despite the fact that, nearly nine years later, his own cars and Superchargers can barely make it to 325 kW while others have sailed right on past. I made fun of that fact on the Quick Charge episode shown, above – and, while I do think it’s funny and relevant, the much more relevant piece of news here is that companies like BP Pulse, Revel, and Wallbox are actively deploying 400 kW solutions, today (while others hit the same mark as far back as 2017).
It’s just a fact: Tesla has fallen way behind.
SOURCE | IMAGES: On The Run, via Electric Autonomy.
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Terawatt Infrastructure‘s first medium- and heavy-duty electric charging truck stop in California is now online, in Rancho Dominguez.
Located 12 miles north of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the private Rancho Dominguez site, which is shared among multiple fleets, will support electric trucking fleet operations in and out of the largest container ports in the US.
First customers include Dreaded Trucking, Hight Logistics, PepsiCo, Quick Container Drayage, Southern Counties Express, Tradelink Transport, and WestCoast Trucking & Warehousing.
Terawatt’s electric charging truck stop features 20 pull-through and bobtail DC fast charging stalls with a capacity of 7 megawatts (MW), enabling charging for up to 125 trucks per day using a simple reservations system. Terawatt’s site features a proprietary charge management system, in-house technicians, 24/7 customer service, and onsite parts management.
“This launch underscores growing collaboration between enterprises, shippers, carriers, and charging infrastructure providers to advance sustainable technologies across logistics and transportation operations, especially in the medium and heavy-duty sectors,” said Neha Palmer, CEO and cofounder of Terawatt. Palmer added that the company will bring another charging site online in Rialto, California, in June.
Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers in September 2024 to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, the “first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor.” Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
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In its most aggressive attack against offshore wind yet, the Trump administration halted the $5 billion Empire Wind 1, already under construction off New York’s coast.
Norwegian developer Equinor announced yesterday that it received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ordering Empire Wind 1 to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted this tweet yesterday:
Burgum gave no indication of what insufficiencies there were in the approval process for the fully permitted offshore wind project, despite Trump’s recent declaration of a national energy emergency that speeds up permitting processes.
The commercial lease for the 810-megawatt (MW) Empire Wind 1’s federal offshore wind area was signed in March 2017 during the first Trump administration. It was approved by the Biden administration in November 2023 and began construction in 2024.
The project is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Empire Wind 1, which was due to come online in 2027, has the potential to power 500,000 New York homes.
“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet in a statement. “We encourage the administration to quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much-needed power to the grid.”
As Electrek reported, Equinor secured $3 billion to finance Empire Wind 1 in January. The total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility as of March 31 was around $1.5 billion.
As of March 31, Empire Wind has a gross book value of around $2.5 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (pictured above), which was expected to become the US’s largest dedicated port facility for offshore wind.
In response to BOEM’s stop work order, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued the following statement:
Every single day, I’m working to make energy more affordable, reliable and abundant in New York and the federal government should be supporting those efforts rather than undermining them. Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond.
As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.
Equinor says it’s considering appealing BOEM’s order.
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