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Evolve's new GTR Series electric skateboards use bendy batteries for tighter turning

Evolve's new GTR Series electric skateboards use bendy batteries for tighter turning
The Evolve Bamboo GTR in action
The Evolve Bamboo GTR in action
View 25 Images
The range offered by Evolve's electric skateboards has always been a huge strength
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The range offered by Evolve's electric skateboards has always been a huge strength
The Evolve Bamboo GTR in action
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The Evolve Bamboo GTR in action
The new GTR boards are driven by Evolve's joystick-based Bluetooth controller
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The new GTR boards are driven by Evolve's joystick-based Bluetooth controller
The new GTR boards are driven by Evolve's joystick-based Bluetooth controller
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The new GTR boards are driven by Evolve's joystick-based Bluetooth controller
The Evolve Bamboo GTR
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The Evolve Bamboo GTR
Evolve is offering the new Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 and the Carbon GTR for AU$1,999
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Evolve is offering the new Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 and the Carbon GTR for AU$1,999
The range offered by Evolve's electric skateboards has always been a huge strength
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The range offered by Evolve's electric skateboards has always been a huge strength
The Bamboo GTR carries the nostalgic aesthetic of old-school longboard design with an exposed timber finish
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The Bamboo GTR carries the nostalgic aesthetic of old-school longboard design with an exposed timber finish
The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
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The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
10/25
The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
Evolve is offering the new Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 and the Carbon GTR for AU$1,999
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Evolve is offering the new Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 and the Carbon GTR for AU$1,999
The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
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The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
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The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
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The newly unveiled GTR Series from Evolve skateboards features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular
Evolve's all-terrain GTR boards in action
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Evolve's all-terrain GTR boards in action
Evolve is offering the new Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 and the Carbon GTR for AU$1,999
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Evolve is offering the new Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 and the Carbon GTR for AU$1,999
Evolve's all-terrain GTR boards in action
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Evolve's all-terrain GTR boards in action
Evolve will start shipping its new GTR boards in the first week of June
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Evolve will start shipping its new GTR boards in the first week of June
Evolve will start shipping its new GTR boards in the first week of June
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Evolve will start shipping its new GTR boards in the first week of June
Evolve has won a legion of fans through its line of excellent electrified longboards
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Evolve has won a legion of fans through its line of excellent electrified longboards
The Bamboo GTR carries the nostalgic aesthetic of old-school longboard design with an exposed timber finish
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The Bamboo GTR carries the nostalgic aesthetic of old-school longboard design with an exposed timber finish
Evolve has won a legion of fans through its line of excellent electrified longboards
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Evolve has won a legion of fans through its line of excellent electrified longboards
The range offered by Evolve's electric skateboards has always been a huge strength
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The range offered by Evolve's electric skateboards has always been a huge strength
Evolve will start shipping its new GTR boards in the first week of June
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Evolve will start shipping its new GTR boards in the first week of June
The Bamboo GTR carries the nostalgic aesthetic of old-school longboard design with an exposed timber finish
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The Bamboo GTR carries the nostalgic aesthetic of old-school longboard design with an exposed timber finish
View gallery - 25 images

Evolve has plenty of fans thanks to its line of excellent electrified longboards, and the latest addition announced today appears to be another solid step forward for a company not afraid to break the mold. The newly unveiled GTR Series features all the hallmarks that made its predecessors so popular, but with some notable upgrades spearheaded by a new battery design with plenty of give.

As was the case with Evolve's previous GT Series, the new GTR line centers on what is essentially the same powertrain technology, using twin 1,500-W motors hooked up to the rear wheels. This is applied to two different types of boards, each with two options for wheel setups.

The Bamboo GTR carries the nostalgic aesthetic of old-school longboard design with an exposed timber finish and three-ply bamboo and two-ply fiberglass sandwiched in between. The Carbon GTR, meanwhile, is made from 100 percent carbon fiber with a black matte finish.

Evolve is offering the new Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 and the Carbon GTR for AU$1,999
Evolve is offering the new Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 and the Carbon GTR for AU$1,999

The battery is packed away neatly inside a compartment beneath the deck and, as with previous designs, doesn't protrude too much from the underside. As we've experienced in our earlier tests of Evolve's skateboards, this makes a huge difference when trying to carry the thing under your arm when on foot.

What's different this time around, however, is that rather than being flat-packed and arranged longways like a series of hardcover books, the battery pack actually flexes, to degrees far greater than you'd ever need from a longboard. This new four-piece battery design should allow for tighter control when turning, and involves no wires connecting the individual packs, making for a neater and safer design on the inside as well.

Evolve has won a legion of fans through its line of excellent electrified longboards
Evolve has won a legion of fans through its line of excellent electrified longboards

The range offered by Evolve's electric skateboards has always been a huge strength and nothing changes with the new GTR Series. Like the previous GT Series, the distance the boards will travel on each charge will depend on the wheels that are attached, and these can be swapped out easily enough with the included Y-shaped skate tool.

The 97-mm (3.8-in) urethane street wheels will allow both the Carbon and Bamboo GTR boards to cover 50 km (31 mi) on each charge, while the 178-mm (7-in) pneumatic tires built for rougher terrain will allow for 30 km (18 mi) of travel. Top speed, meanwhile, is listed as 42 km/h (26 mph) for the street setup and 36 km/h (22 mph) for the all-terrain setup.

Both boards are driven by Evolve's joystick-based Bluetooth controller, which displays battery levels and allows riders to choose from ECO mode, which preserves power and has a friendlier acceleration curve, and PRO mode, which prioritizes power and, well, has a less friendly acceleration curve.

Evolve is offering the Bamboo GTR for a price of AU$1,899 (US$1,320) and the Carbon GTR for $1,999 (US$1,390), with shipping to kick off in the first week of June. You can see the new boards in action in the video below.

Source: Evolve

Introducing The Evolve GTR Series | Feel The Difference

View gallery - 25 images
3 comments
3 comments
guzmanchinky
I love e boards. I have 4. I've been riding e boards since 2012. This board looks incredible. I know several people with Evolve boards, and they are amazing. BUT- they are really heavy and very pricey. From a lot of personal experience I would say gloves and knee pads at a minimum. Oh, and they are not allowed on the Golden Gate Bridge, but I've ridden on it many times and they don't actually give you a ticket...
ljaques
Mr. Fence Sitter must have come to a quick stop when he saw Evolve's pricing. I'll bet those knees hurt. ;)
Parts are now available, so I don't see how they get that price, unless longboarders are a clicquey bunch who love branding.
christopher
So the combined power of BOTH motors is still less than the power of just one of Bajaboard's 4 wheel drives? Hmm... If you're in the market, best look at youtube from *real* riders - those photoshop-enhanced stills paint a horrible false impression of their real traction and power...