Meepo Hurricane
In 2022, the Chinese manufacturer Meepo will launch a whole range of new boards. While the Shuffle S (V4S) and the Meepo Mini 2S are more of an improvement on their predecessors, the Meepo Hurricane is a completely new board that Meepo wants to use to pave the way into off-road terrain. Whether this step succeeds and for whom the new Meepo speedster is best suited, we clarify here on E-Skateboardsgermany.de!
Click here for the manufacturer: Meepoboard.com.*
The board on sale: www.meepoboard.com/products/meepo-hurricane.*
The deck
"Built like a tank" advertises Meepo on their official website, which means something like: Thanks to the built-in T700 carbon fiber, this deck is so hard that even a car could drive over it. Unfortunately, we didn't test this, but we can assure you that under no driving conditions will the deck ever flex. The carbon fibers make the board hard as a rock - this mainly protects the battery and the ESC from damage.
The shape of the deck is reminiscent of an eight, in the middle it loses area to save weight, but it becomes wider again at the two ends for more floor space. A drop-down design was also chosen: the deck lowers between the axles to keep the center of gravity as close to the ground as possible. This improves both driving stability and cornering. Together with the curved cross-sectional area, a really great riding experience is created, but the firm footing on the board is particularly noteworthy: you feel like you are screwed to your feet, which is extremely valuable for confidence in the board. Especially when off-roading, you don't need to worry about the status and can concentrate fully on the route.
In general, the board features a stripe-like design with a distinctive Meepo logo in the middle. The carbon fibers are put on display openly and give the Hurricane a sporty touch. A nice feature: when you buy it, you can laser engrave your favorite number on the board for a small surcharge. You can find the link to laser engraving here.*
If you regularly ride your e-skateboard in the dark, attaching shred lights* can be a great accessory to increase safety on your ride. With their easy mounting on the deck, they are a valuable investment that not only provides additional visibility in low light conditions, but also during the day. They also give your board a stylish look.
The tires
A sporty off-roader also needs a set of sporty off-road tires. Meepo supplies these in-house in the form of four 155*50mm all-terrain tires, alternatively there are also roadworthy 90*62mm tires available.
If you opt for the road version of the Meepo Hurricane, you should be prepared for a bumpy ride: the stiff carbon fiber deck gives you no mercy when it comes to shock absorption, the tires alone can absorb any bumps and bumps, and with rather harder road tires there are not much travel. What is clear, however, is that the Hurricane in this combination can hardly be surpassed when it comes to sportiness. Cornering is ideal on the asphalt, the grip is fantastic. However, potholes and cobblestones can turn out to be the final opponents. Especially in connection with the drop-down deck, the small tires quickly cause one or the other bounce, which can quickly endanger driving safety in addition to unsightly scratches.
The all-terrain tires are much more grateful: with a 155mm diameter, light pavement and medium unevenness in the ground are child's play. Unpaved surfaces such as grass, sand, forest soil, etc. can also be driven on with it. With regard to the design of the Meepo Hurricane, we therefore recommend AT tires rather than road tires. Thanks to standardized axle dimensions, the board is compatible with most tire sets, so that changing them later is also possible.
The motorization
Is there such a thing as too much power? The manufacturer Meepo is obviously testing exactly that with their new board, because: with an insane maximum output of 7000 watts, the Hurricane is currently pretty much the strongest board on the market. This power is achieved with dual, belt-driven electric motors.
The insane performance is followed by the equally unbelievable top speed: the Hurricane covers a top speed of 56 km/h. Even if we reached 56 km/h in our test, we would by no means recommend driving at these speeds. Even if the new Meepo board was designed perfectly for this kind of speed, at a speed of over 50km/h even the smallest of all mistakes leads in the worst case to big injuries. It is therefore essential to wear protective clothing!
As is well known, strength is nothing without the control that goes with it. After all, the 7000 watts have to be handled somehow. With the Exway Atlas 4WD, the solution was to distribute the total of 4800 watts of power to all wheels using an all-wheel drive. However, a corresponding solution is missing with the Hurricane, only the rear axle is motorized. Therefore, restraint is called for, especially when accelerating, otherwise wheelspin will result. With the necessary practice, however, the 7000 watts can also be controlled, and thus unimagined acceleration values can be achieved.
Another advantage of the high motorization is the ability to climb steep slopes. The manufacturer Meepo writes on the website that the board can climb gradients of up to 46%. For comparison: an average e-board covers a maximum incline of 25%-30%. In our test, we were able to confirm that the Hurricane is a real climber. Gradients of up to 35% can be climbed at almost full speed, steeper slopes have to be found first. So if you live in hilly terrain, the Meepo Hurricane can be a good addition to your fleet.
At high speeds, the brakes are all the more important. Typical for belt-driven e-boards are hard-gripping brakes, and the Hurricane makes no difference here either. Thanks to four different braking levels, the braking power can also be adjusted completely individually, which is particularly beneficial for beginners. More about this on the subject of ESC.
The battery
A 12S4P Molicel P42A battery with 725.8Wh is installed in the Meepo Hurricane, which should ensure a range of up to 50km with AT tires and up to 70km with street tires. Unfortunately, we were not able to achieve these values in our test. With a 72kg driver, we achieved a distance of approx. 38km on AT tires on a realistic ride (consisting of unpaved ground, asphalted sections of road and moderate inclines). The big difference is probably in the way Meepo tested the board for range. The manufacturers usually ride their boards under optimal conditions to determine the maximum distance. Under real circumstances, this distance that can be covered decreases accordingly. Nevertheless, >35km in off-road conditions is an above-average range that deserves to be appreciated.
The battery itself can be replaced, but a total of 18 (!) screws have to be removed to do this. So don't expect to be able to quickly change the battery after driving 35 kilometers and then continue driving. In addition, the battery is unfortunately not - yet - in the Meepo shop. At around 3 hours, the charging time is far less than that of the competition, mainly thanks to the new 50.4V 6.5A charger. Unfortunately, the 8A fast charger of the new Meepo Shuffle V4 is not compatible.
The ESC
Meepoboards has been working with the Electronic Speed Controls from LingYi for a long time instead of the well-known Hobbywing ESCs, which are used e.g. by Exway or WowGo. And the new LY-FOC 70B is an excellent choice! Both acceleration and deceleration are equally intuitive and balanced. The control is responsive and does exactly what the user asks the board to do. This is particularly important at high speeds and when driving off-road.
In addition, the ESC comes with great features such as an intelligent automatic on/off function, which switches the board on automatically when you step on it. This saves you the hassle of bending over to the power button. The ESC also provides four different braking strengths, which can be switched while driving. In addition to the different braking strengths, different driving profiles are also available, which limit the power output. Similar to a beginner mode, mode 1 lowers the power output to a minimum, ideal for cruising or for beginners. The complete opposite is driving mode 4, which provides the full 7000 watts.
All in all, Meepo with the LingYi ESC is a great competitor to the Hobbywing ESC. Both controls are similarly strong in their properties, but the LY-FOC 70B is clearly tailored to the Hurricane and promotes fast driving on paved paths.
The remote control
Meepo dared far less when it came to the remote control: It is the same remote as the Meepo Shuffle S and its predecessor. The Meepo M4S remote control is small, handy and comes with a comparatively large display for reading the driving data. Meepo briefly describes how the remote control works on their website. You can find the link here.*
The advantage of an old remote control is that almost all old Meepoboards are compatible. So should the new M4S remote get damaged in the fall, all the others will work just as well as the new one. Nevertheless, a few innovations would have been welcome, especially since the Hurricane is also a completely new off-road series.
The conclusion
The new Meepo Hurricane is many things: an off-roader, a racer, a power cannon, but definitely not a bargain: the price for the new addition to the Meepo fleet is well over €1000. Accordingly, the question arises: Is the board worth it for such a price?
The answer is up to you. The Hurricane sets new standards in many respects: in the incredible power output, in the material processing, in the range, in the top speed. But after all, not everyone always needs the best of the best. And here's the core: The board is perfect for the adrenaline and speed junkie looking for a new adventure. For the cruisers among us it might be too much. Either way, Meepo is once again turning the e-skate world upside down with his board.
