 Today we're riding the Ego 2. It's the second electric longboard from a company called Unique, which you might know from its line of Typhoon drones. A lot of electric skateboards have hit the market in the last year, but unlike many of those, you can actually buy an Ego 2 today. It's one of the only electric skateboards you can buy at regular retailers like B&H, Best Buy and Walmart. It's also one of the most affordable at $699. That price comes with tradeoffs. The Ego 2 isn't as nimble as the Boosted Board. With a max speed of 12.5 mph and a chunky belt, the Ego 2 is a little sluggish off the line. It's all powered by a single 400 watt motor, which is a little on the small side, but it's still a lot faster than walking. The board itself is an 8-layer composite deck with a kicktail shape, and this little design detail will appeal to a lot of people. The tail allows you to tilt the board up over small obstacles like rough pavement and sidewalks, but you probably won't be doing any tricks with it. The deck and battery running along its underbelly make the Ego 2 very stiff, and the 90mm wheels are pretty bulky, but they're helpful when riding over rough terrain. One area where the Ego 2 surpasses the Boosted Board is its range. Unique claims that it can travel about 18 miles on a single charge, and we've found it perform just a little under that. Charging the battery on the Ego 2 does take a long time, around 4 hours. Since the board weighs around 14 pounds, you better be sure that you can make it where you're going unless you're willing to bring the bulky charger, too. But the biggest compromise on the Ego 2 is its user interface. You control the board with a spring-loaded Bluetooth remote, which can be recharged over micro USB. You push the button on the end to turn the remote on and off, and you also have to flip a switch on the underside of the board. It takes a long time for the board to respond to the remote, so you really have to anticipate your moves if you need to speed up or apply the brake. The remote will also tell you how much battery life is left in the board with an LED blinking a sort of Morse code, but to tell for sure you have to focus on the remote for a long time which is kind of dangerous while riding. In some ways the Ego 2 feels a lot safer than other boards. Its relatively slow speed and solid deck make it feel sturdy, and it does handle gravel and bumps pretty well. Unique made a board that anyone can buy. It's cheaper than the competition, and yes, it comes with a number of serious trade-offs, but the Ego 2's stiff deck, large wheels, slow speed, and long range make it a pretty good option for the casual rider. It's fun and it'll get you where you're going, but not with as much style and grace as other boards on the market.
 Today we're riding the Ego 2.
 It's the second electric longboard from a company called Unique, which you might know
 from its line of Typhoon drones.
 A lot of electric skateboards have hit the market in the last year, but unlike many of
 those, you can actually buy an Ego 2 today.
 It's one of the only electric skateboards you can buy at regular retailers like B&H,
 Best Buy and Walmart.
 It's also one of the most affordable at $699.
 That price comes with tradeoffs.
 The Ego 2 isn't as nimble as the Boosted Board.
 With a max speed of 12.5 mph and a chunky belt, the Ego 2 is a little sluggish off the
 line.
 It's all powered by a single 400 watt motor, which is a little on the small side, but it's
 still a lot faster than walking.
 The board itself is an 8-layer composite deck with a kicktail shape, and this little
 design detail will appeal to a lot of people.
 The tail allows you to tilt the board up over small obstacles like rough pavement and sidewalks,
 but you probably won't be doing any tricks with it.
 The deck and battery running along its underbelly make the Ego 2 very stiff, and the 90mm wheels
 are pretty bulky, but they're helpful when riding over rough terrain.
 One area where the Ego 2 surpasses the Boosted Board is its range.
 Unique claims that it can travel about 18 miles on a single charge, and we've found
 it perform just a little under that.
 Charging the battery on the Ego 2 does take a long time, around 4 hours.
 Since the board weighs around 14 pounds, you better be sure that you can make it where
 you're going unless you're willing to bring the bulky charger, too.
 But the biggest compromise on the Ego 2 is its user interface.
 You control the board with a spring-loaded Bluetooth remote, which can be recharged over
 micro USB.
 You push the button on the end to turn the remote on and off, and you also have to flip
 a switch on the underside of the board.
 It takes a long time for the board to respond to the remote, so you really have to anticipate
 your moves if you need to speed up or apply the brake.
 The remote will also tell you how much battery life is left in the board with an LED blinking
 a sort of Morse code, but to tell for sure you have to focus on the remote for a long
 time which is kind of dangerous while riding.
 In some ways the Ego 2 feels a lot safer than other boards.
 Its relatively slow speed and solid deck make it feel sturdy, and it does handle gravel
 and bumps pretty well.
 Unique made a board that anyone can buy.
 It's cheaper than the competition, and yes, it comes with a number of serious trade-offs,
 but the Ego 2's stiff deck, large wheels, slow speed, and long range make it a pretty
 good option for the casual rider.
 It's fun and it'll get you where you're going, but not with as much style and grace
 as other boards on the market.