JetFleet G18

I’ve been testing a pre-production JetFleet G18 ESC in my fully custom 32S high-voltage race board, using a Fusion Core setup with the ESC housed inside the CannonCore motor.

As a racer, its biggest advantage is the outstanding thermal performance. During a demanding trail race in Mayrau, most other boards overheated after only one or two laps, while I completed four hard laps before the G18 even reached high temperatures.

It delivers strong, consistent power and has performed flawlessly under real race conditions, including powering me to first place at the Xerace × Electro Hussars race in Hungary. JetFleet’s customer support has also been exceptionally fast and helpful throughout the entire process.

For a high-performance race board, the G18 has been extremely impressive.

I've got 258 mi on this controller. With my racing I use this for, they've been all very rough trail miles.
40s2p battery system, and the G18 controller is mounted inside the motor on a fusion core build in the world's largest self balancing mountain board I call the Monster Board. Normally, I'd prefer to wait a full year of a use and abuse or until the component breaks to leave a review just to make sure I know where the breaking points end up. But, so far it's been surprisingly durable. I've got it wet. I've got it hot and I've pushed quite a bit of amperage through it (170 motor current max/ 300 absolute maximum current. *firmware maximum limit is 300*). But yeah it's still kicking. The external antenna has great signal but it is kind of delicate. So be careful with that part.
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Hope this helps🤙
@Luke Austin
@Full_Send_Luke

In my opinion the best custom VESC OneWheel controller you can buy for money. A lot of headroom for any custom board. I'll go to 40s1p soon... Sadly the cells I wanted to use are not available form nkon.nl at the moment. This will become big. Maybe you can buy custom VESC OneWheel's manufactured or shoud I say assembled in Germany soon. Stay tuned...

For context, I’m running the G18 in a 38s1p (159.6V) Onewheel XRC layout with a TFL Sidewinder motor. I’ve also spent considerable time riding JetFleet’s F6, which gives me a useful point of comparison.

There are three things about the G18 that really stand out: smoothness, capability, and thermal performance. Together, they’re why I think this controller is something special.

Smoothness

More than the voltage or power capability, the thing that impressed me most is how incredibly smooth the G18 feels under your feet.

The G18’s IMU operates at 3840Hz versus the 832Hz commonly used on other controllers. Combined with its GaN power stage and other architectural differences, there are several possible reasons for what I’m feeling. I can’t attribute it to any single one—but I can absolutely feel the difference.

The best analogy I can give is drawing a circle using straight lines. Draw it with 10 segments and you can still perceive the individual edges. Draw it with 50 and those transitions begin to disappear.

That’s what the G18 feels like.

A great example is nudging a square-edged curb. With another controller, you distinctly feel that sharp edge and the board reacting to it. With the G18, somehow that same curb feels rounder. The obstacle hasn’t changed; the way the board responds beneath you has.

It feels like there’s simply more resolution between the rider, board, and terrain.

Capability

The obvious advantage is the electrical capability: up to 168V and ±300A motor current.

I’m actually using that capability rather than admiring it on a spec sheet. My 38s pack reaches 159.6V fully charged, putting this build into territory that wasn’t practical with previous generations of Onewheel-form-factor controllers.

It’s not about chasing huge numbers for bragging rights. That additional headroom gives builders considerably more freedom when designing high-performance boards.

The G18 feels less like an incremental improvement and more like hardware designed around where high-performance VESC builds are heading next.

Thermals

With this voltage and current capability, I expected heat management to become part of the equation. Instead, the G18 has been remarkably cool.

During hard trail riding on hot days, I’ve generally seen controller temperatures within roughly 10°C of ambient. The highest I’ve recorded is only 40°C on a 32°C (90°F) day.

I’ve compared it directly with my F6 under similar riding conditions on the same day. Despite the F6 operating at considerably lower voltage, the G18 ran at comparable temperatures and sometimes cooler. Other G18 riders have reported similarly impressive thermal behavior, so my experience doesn’t appear to be an outlier.

What would I change?

I genuinely wish the G18 had an onboard 12V accessory output capable of roughly 3A.

Ironically, this problem is created by one of the G18’s greatest strengths. Once your battery exceeds 150V, finding a compact buck converter capable of accepting full pack voltage while providing enough 12V power for lighting becomes surprisingly difficult.

A protected 12V/~3A output would make lighting and accessories dramatically easier to integrate and make the G18 an even more complete high-voltage platform.

Final thoughts

The headline numbers—168V, ±300A, 3840Hz IMU—are impressive, but after actually living with the G18, the numbers aren’t what I like most about it.

It’s how refined the board feels while delivering that capability.

It lets me run a 159.6V build, stays remarkably cool while doing it, and somehow makes the terrain beneath the board feel smoother and more controlled than other controllers I’ve ridden.

There are controllers that make a board more powerful. What impressed me about the G18 is that it makes an extreme high-voltage board feel more refined at the same time.

For me, that’s what makes the G18 special.

Running the JetFleet G18 on a VESC Onewheel with a 40S/168V pack has been a standout experience. The universal plate worked great for me but if needed an included GT plate or a Thor plate will make installation quick and clean.
What impressed me most is the near-silent motor operation and silky-smooth control—noticeably quieter and more refined than other VESC units I’ve tried and still have. Thermals stay excellent (typically just 12–19 °C over ambient), thanks to the efficient GaN stage. The high-rate IMU delivers a locked-in, oscillation-free feel, and the built-in ESP32-C3 plus full 168 V support make it ideal for serious high-voltage builds.
Support from the JetFleet team has been responsive and helpful.
Overall, if you want quiet, efficient, high-voltage performance with solid support, the G18 is an easy recommendation.