with kickstarter raising capital is now a user acquisition strategy. way cooler than some old dude with money that distracts you for months, takes equity and doesn't bring you users nor added visibility.
They are likely doing both. KickStarter allows them to show proof of interest without actually having to build the product, which paves the way for a big VC round.
Are they waterproof? Could I ride this in Seattle & SF rain all the time without damaging it? Otherwise it's just a fair weather vehicle and it's not something I can rely on.
If not, why would I choose this over all the other electric skateboards?
Is it safe to use on the steep downgrades you have in SF? Is it useless to use when going uphill on those same hills?
The electronics will be somewhat water resistant, but we don't recommend riding in the rain. A big reason for that is the wheels (from standard longboards) are slicks and are somewhat dangerous in wet weather.
It is very capable at uphill climbing and downhill braking. Our ability to stay standing on it is usually the limiting factor.
As for why you would choose this over others, it's the lightest, has way more power than most, and has a fantastic design and riding experience.
It's unfortunate nobody has made a waterproof electric skateboard yet, it's what makes me stop buying any of them. How would it perform with knobby all terrain tires?
Reread the statement you are commenting on. The reason that you don't want to ride this board in the rain is inherent to longboarding, not to electronics. It is entirely possible to design the mechanical enclosures of electronics to withstand rain, it is simply a design choice. If people shouldn't be longboarding in the rain, why design for it?
I had these exact same questions: riding in Seattle/SF and Cleveland.
I don't think there's any way to make a safe powerful brake system for skateboards unless you're ready to do the stale fish maneuver, i.e. hit the brake button and grab the board, which, if there's a kiteboard-style handle, seems plausible
OTW, you have to learn power slides to make drastic decelerations, or bail off the front and kick the board behind you, but I almost got run over a few times in SF doing that. This also only works if you're not going faster than you can run. I found that out empirically too
Not really relevant, but i saw somebody a couple years ago ride a shopping cart full of bottles (probably weighed a couple hundred pounds) down the steep hill on Haight st from Baker to Divis. He's my hero
Unfortunately, this device could run into the same legal issues the segway did. Since it's a motorized vehicle it is technically not allowed on sidewalks in many jurisdictions. But I also wouldn't feel nearly as safe riding this on the side of a busy street as I would on a bike. Hopefully forward thinking cities will come up with a legal solution because it's definitely a more practical mode of transportation than the segway.
Having riden mine in traffic, it's actually pretty reasonable to ride in a bike lane. Cars give a wide berth and are usually paying a lot of attention because it's unusual for a skateboarder to be able to ride alongside cars at bike speeds.
This is a bit different, I believe. Segways just do not look cool, and you would be kind of embarrassed riding one, unless you really don't give a fuck what the world thinks. These on the other hand are cool enough that you are ride them without looking like a clown.
I think Segways are great for sightseeing tours, and I've done (and enjoyed) a couple on my travels. Segways basically created a new way to sightsee.
I can't imagine how tours would be able to operate 12-15 mile 2 hour "walking" tours otherwise. You're able to see a significant part of a city from eye level without a huge amount of physical effort.
Are these boards common in America or elsewhere. Here in Dublin, Ireland I have seen perhaps one long board in my life.
Is there a certain terrain or area which suits these boards or are they good for any urban street type scenario.
At that price, I can see no advantage over a bike or even a small motorbike. Wondering is this something that people think will do very well in the market they are targeting?
Yes, these are pretty popular in college towns in the U.S. I live in Missoula, MT and see them all the time. I'll often see a dog on a harness pulling the rider along too. That looks pretty fun.
It's difficult to group this directly with the segway. The segway had to adapt it's users to a new form of transportation, the boosted boards already have a large consumer base to dip into. It's a great enhancement.
There's another electric skateboard company already in CA, www.zboardshop.com, so I guess there's more to this law, or it's just not enforced at all. I see electric skateboards by the beach all the time.
If the company is successful to the point that this law starts being enforced, they can get a well-connected investor who can help lobby to get the law changed.
This is way cool, but the company has a few challenges to face to be "serious, eco-friendly transportation devices that could replace your bike, scooter, or maybe even your car."
I live and work in manhattan and for the summer I've been skating to and from work nearly every day (40ish blocks). According to my research, skateboards are considered "play" devices. Whereas bikes and all motorized vehicles are required to be in the street, skateboarders under 14 must wear a helmet and are not allowed to ride in the street. Older skateboarders have the option, but not the requirement to ride in the street. With the narrow streets, stop and go traffic, out of control cabbies, and people not used to looking for skateboarders, I feel much safer on the sidewalk.
There is a law that prevents the reckless operation of skateboards on sidewalks (http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/nycode/ADC/19/1/3/19-176.1), and I always take care to be courteous and provide plenty of space to all pedestrians.
Where there are bike lanes available, I'll take them, as that also seems to be a legal option, but I've had more run ins with pedestrians in bike lanes than on the sidewalk.
I've been stopped by cops twice and told I could not ride on the sidewalk, yelled at by private security and pedestrians, and had pedestrians step out in front of me without looking when I had complete right of way in the bike lane--causing me to have to bail.
This said, for any company looking to use skateboards to revolutionize urban travel, education campaigns at all levels will be necessary.
You may feel safer on the sidewalk, but just like a bicycle, you may be safer on the street than the sidewalk. Most collisions happen in intersections. Cars do not expect vehicles to be crossing the street from the sidewalk at high speed, so don't check very well. Being closer to the center of the intersection makes you more visible, and ensures you're coming from an area where cars expect high speed objects to be coming from.
Being in Manhattan changes that somewhat. There are a large number of pedestrians there, so that helps with driver awareness.
I agree with your sentiment and would like to take it a step further.
As someone who lives in San Francisco and commutes using all three of bike, foot, and car (and back in college rode a skateboard around a large and busy campus) I don't think skateboards belong on the sidewalk - and definitely not motor powered ones.
Anything that has the potential to move much faster than a person running at full speed is extremely dangerous on the sidewalk for everyone involved: cars, bikes, and especially pedestrians. It breaks everyone's mental model for what could possibly be coming from where. Cars making a right turn do not expect bikes or skateboards to entering the sidewalk at 5-10 mph from their blind spot and so they almost never check. Pedestrians turning a corner don't expect the possibility of something oncoming that is moving too fast to stop before hitting then and so they almost never look. And so on..
As an individual YOU might be a considerate skateboarder who has learned when and where to be careful. That's great, but it doesn't change the fact that there are still idiots and assholes out there that are going to do idiotic and asshole things. The only system that makes sense is: fast-stuff in one place where everyone knows to look out for fast-stuff, and slow-stuff on the sidewalk.
I don't think you can make rules based on potential speed, and your division is far too simplistic and arbitrary in terms of speed. While I agree my skateboarding is limited to 5-10 MPH (jogging-running speed), is that really that fast?
If I (and my skateboarding kind) should be in the street based on speed or potential speed, then so should rollerbladers, scooters, segways, motorized wheelchairs, anyone able-bodied person (as they have the potential to start running).
It's a complex issue and courtesy and being alert go a long way... as well as knowing the law. Wherever I'm supposed to be by law (NYC law leans toward the sidewalk) is where I need to be, and other people need to respect that.
Yup, its definitely a dicey issue. 5-10 mph on a skateboard is definitely a courteous and safe speed.. The problem is that 12-20 mph is also attainable and unfortunately not everyone is as courteous as you. It's the bad apples that spoil the bunch.
Yes, I do extend this to rollerbladers and scooters. Segues have a maximum speed of 12.5 mph and restrict their own downhill movement. I'd say they're sidewalk safe. Same with wheelchairs.
If there was a way to limit the speed of the board based on the grade of the hill, that could be an easy, innovative solution. I imagine that might be built in already to some degree.
I don't see skateboards ever becoming a mainstream way to commute, no matter what kind of educational campaign. I used to ride a skateboard for years but I'd most likely just hurt myself if I tried to get on a skateboard today. My 5 block commute is filled with some many cracks and curbs that it would be a total aerobic workout to get there on skateboard and I'd be sweating like a pig. Most likely I'd bail a couple of times along the way and show up to work with scuffed up elbows and knees!
I applaud anybody who ride their board to work, but it's definitely not for most people. I think these boards are cool & will surely appeal to the skater & recreational crowd. The motors look like really promising tech as well so I think overall this is just a cool idea.
In my local area skateboards are legal on the street except if it has a centre line marker (ie, a white line dividing traffic).
In my opinion, the laws should be uniform regardless of the device (e-bike, e-skateboard, e-whatever). This means restricted to certain types of roads, and possibly allowed on the sidewalk but with speed limits.
Some context: The average electric bicycle has a 300 watt motor. These baby's have 2000 watt motors (or 2 x 1000 watt motors, I couldn't tell) that are roughly a 5th of the size of an electric bike motor. Include a battery big enough to power that motor and the fact that they're adding regenerative braking, which electric bikes don't have, and this is a seriously awesome engineering challenge.
Wow. Which leads one to ask, could you just take the motors off the board and put them on a bike? What's the new tech that makes these motors possible?
Brushless motors. You could put them on a bike but then you'd break the laws governing electric bicycles (500w or 1000w limits depending on the jurisdiction).
My first intro to brushless motors was on a delta RC plane. The power makes a gas engine look like a joke. If you've not seen these motors, the basic difference IIRC is that brushless motors don't have brushes so they have less friction, longer battery life and greater power to weight ratio. They remove the brushes by moving the permanent magnets to the rotating part of the motor and use a controller to switch the stationary electromagnets.
Of course, but then you'd be subject to restrictions on where you can use a moped. Depending on where you are, this would likely rule out bike lanes, sidewalks, etc. and thus make the bike less useful. Enforcement is highly variable, though, so this may or may not matter.
The problem there is that mopeds / scooters are often regulated. For example, in Toronto you need a license and insurance for scooters which drastically increases your costs compared to a bicycle or skateboard (motor or not).
I expect some cities are mulling over the regulations on e-bikes since many of them (but not all) are basically scooters but with an electric motor and useless pedals.
It's pretty great. There are 4 assist settings from barely helping (1), up to make you feel like superman (4).
On the 3rd-4th setting hills are a breeze, on the 2nd setting you still work a bit, and on the 1st setting it really just makes up for it's weight imo (motor + battery = heavy).
You can also go into resistance / negative settings (-1 to -4) is you're a masochist (or in amazing shape).
It doesn't even look like a skateboard. I think the reason Boosted Boards looks so awesome is the fact it actually looks like a longboard... with a motor!
It's not even just that it looks like longboard, it is an actual longboard that's been modified. It's a Loaded Vanguard from what I can tell which is a really nice board. The existing electric boards tend to be made specifically for the electric board and the result is a not very good skateboard/longboard.
Also, the difference in weight is huge. 40 lbs is something that I need two hands to pick up and is a pain to carry. Bringing the weight down to just +4 lbs over the original longboard means this is something I can actually carry under my arm.
In most cases you don't go down them. Bombing hills is a huge part of longboarding, but that's not something you can really do on a typical commute with vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
I haven't been able to figure out how to control my speed on a hill on a sidewalk (not wide enough for turns, and I can't really powerslide yet).
I saw an invention once which was a foot-operated brake for the back wheels of a long board. I think it had tiny drum brakes for the wheels or something like that. It had a big metal heat soak to absorb the heat from braking. Given I've never seen one, I guess it flopped.
There are various basic braking techniques like dragging your foot or reverse pushing. More skilled riders will periodically slide the board sideways to create friction and control speed.
Rode a prototype on Stanford campus. This is the real deal, amazingly fun and powerful. $1200 is past my cutoff but I'd love to get one if the price comes down.
"Nothing’s scarier than getting going too fast down a hill on a skateboard." Actually if you know how to power slide, going down hills is actually quite fun.
Also, is this a full electric board, or do you have the option of pushing and then you can use the motor when you want to?
I haven't ridden it, but I know it's got regenerative brakes so it's safe to ride downhill. Not sure how they're activated. Based on your position on the board perhaps?
Since the motors are engaged full time (no freewheel) and are self-exciting, they're going to give some drag due to iron losses, which is magnified by the gearing of the belts, as well as some stored angular momentum.
So I think it could work as a non-powered board, but not very well.
I have been longboarding for 10+ years, and riding Loaded boards for most of it (the company that makes the deck they are using). Loaded decks are friggin amazing, and i'm super excited to see a product like this exists. If they can make it function with similar flex as the normal loaded board, and disengage the motors as needed to ride like a normal longboard this could be the best short-range commuting vehicle ever!!
Serious question by a non-skateboarer: Unlike the Segway this doesn't provide any stability assistance, right? How safe would it be for a newbie to start using this?
I'd be worried about falling off this thing. AFAIK, the Segway goes to great lengths to mitigate that risk [although GWB managed to defeat those systems :)].
Segways are actually pretty hard to ride if you've ever ridden a standard skateboard. The stability control gain needs to be super high because it's so tippy, so you can easily get it to oscillate if you're not used to riding a self-balancing vehicle.
The acceleration stability problem for electric longboards is actually totally solvable (and solved, just not in a commercially-available machine) by detecting the rider's weight distribution.
I built a prototype back in '06 that (unlike the zboard) had the weight sensing system distributed over the entire deck, so there was no fiddly stance that you had to maintain.
It was super intuitive to ride, even for beginners, and had just an on-off switch as a controller (I used a little car-alarm-style key fob).
I teamed up with a buddy in Vancouver to improve it, and we converted it from a single rear hub motor to dual front hub motors (so no belts or anything to wear out or break). We showed it off at the Bay Area Maker Faire in '07.
On the trip back our prototype got stolen, and real life intruded, and we haven't done much with it since. I'd love to get another unit put together soon though.
Why is there an obsession with calling things "magical"? Technology is the opposite of magic. The word "magical" both creates unrealistic expectations and handwaves over all of the incredible technology inside.
The industry should use words like "brilliant" instead of "magical" to emphasize the skill and dedication required to create amazing products, instead of tacitly implying that they are outputs of inscrutable black-box processes. Kids who ride this skateboard realize that someday, they could engineer something even better than it.
Word choice absolutely does affect how people think. Terms like "intelligent design" exploit this by cloaking nonsense in the guise of logic, and if you explain to a kid that a lightbulb or an electric skateboard works by "magic" that's a lot less inspiring than saying "a kid just like you studied how things work and invented it."
I have been riding an electric skateboard through Copenhagen for a few years (Evo 600: http://en.evo-skate.com/street600wood/). We have great bicycle tracks all over the city which is ideal. The principle of the board is the same, board strapped with an electric motor, controlled by IR remote in the hand. I'll share a few thoughts.
First off, my board has a 600 watt motor and does around 20mph, which is fast in the city. I overtake most bicycles (people's faces are priceless). I cannot fathom what a 2000 watt motor would do, seems kind of life-threatening honestly. I haven't had any accidents, flew over the top a couple of times when I hit a high edge, par for the course when skateboarding, but I wouldn't want to go any faster.
My board does around 10 kilometers per charge, which is enough for a commute in the city. Not sure how well a 2000 watt motor would fare, I definitely could not accept less range. But my board has the older SLA battery, a lithium battery probably evens the score, while being lighter.
How easy is it to drive? You need experience skateboarding or you'll have quite a learning curve. The accelleration needs a good stance to not get dropped off the back, same with breaking vs. flying over the front. Turning is even more cumbersome than with a real skateboard because the board is so heavy, so you need pretty good technique (and space).
About safety: If you fall off, drop the remote etc. the board stops, the IR must be in your hand to activate and has a short range either way, so no chance of the board running away from you. As soon as you stop accellerating the board slows right down, and you can brake with the engine too (big advantage over a real skateboard). The engine is engaged all the time so you can't just roll like on a real board. Hopefully these guys solve this problem, would be useful if you're out of battery.
About sound, it's not annoying but not quiet either, your regular medium-sized electric motor. In the street it's not particularly noticeable.
About legal issues: It's illegal in the street but no one cares. I pass patrol cars all the time and most don't notice that it's not a regular skateboard, or don't care.
On motor power, note that the power rating of a motor is usually the maximum continuous power the motor is rated for, ie without overheating. Just because a motor is 2000W as opposed to 600W, doesn't necessarily mean it will use any more power for a given job it is being asked to do. Your 600W motor could produce 2000W too if you were to nearly double the voltage, but it might overheat. Regardless, the power they draw is the power asked of them. For example, your skateboard might be 200W continuous when travelling at a constant velocity, and both motors in this case will only use 200W, or rather a bit more because they're not perfectly efficient. Which brings me on to efficiency. Different kinds of electric motors have different characteristics, but it's usually the case that they will have a maximum efficiency at a lower power than maximum power. The designers of this skateboard might have chosen their 2kW motor such that it is operating at maximum efficiency at the power they are expecting it to need to produce to propel humans around. In this respect the range of the 2kW skateboard might actually be greater than the 600W skateboard, everything else being equal.
That said, 2kW is a lot of power! If all that could be instantaneously put down without wheel spin by a skateboard, I image it would shoot out from under your legs like a bullet out of a gun. Fun!
Regarding the dangerous speeds that a 2kW motor could propel you to, the full 2kW might only be used when going uphill. At 100% efficiency, 2kW will let a 75kg person travel at 10 meters/s [1] (sprinting speed) on a 15% incline.
As a cyclist, 15 deg incline is steep. Honestly, steeper than all but rural roads and even then rare. There might be some hills like that in SF. Even in the mountains, graded switchbacks are not nearly that steep, for the most part.
Which beings me to who and why would you want to ride down something so steep on a skateboard? I have a hill a mile from my house, thats ~200 vertical feet, and a around a 1/4 mile, its 12 degrees max on my GPS topo. I'm easily 35-45 mph on this, coasting. No hands descent would be NFW. 40 mph on a skateboard and there is a piece of gravel on the road, I'm not sure a Helmet will even help you with the face-plant potential.
But other than that, I think for a flat city it may be of interest. Or even a flat-ish area like soma/mission. But Manhattan? Nah. I'd pass. Maybe in the sub-urbs or exurbs? Where its just a long slog down a random road to the store or whatever would be more interesting. There is a lot of sprawl out there. And this would be cooler than a segway =D.
Yes, with stop signs =D. And Cable car Tracks. And Cross-traffic. LOL.
Bottom line = 30 degrees is sketchy, even ATGATT, on a Motorcyle.
___________
[Edit] Citaton: Just how steep is this?
A large avalanche in Montroc, France, in 1999, 300,000 cubic metres of snow slid on a 30° slope, achieving a speed of 100 km/h (60 mph). It killed 12 people in their chalets under 100,000 tons of snow, 5 meters (15 ft) deep. The mayor of Chamonix was convicted of second-degree murder for not evacuating the area, but received a suspended sentence.
Regarding the speed, the website says it's artifically limited, so I don't think you'll see these flying around at ridiculous speeds. It sounds like just included the beefy motor to power up San Francisco hills.
Here in Portland I think the laws would go unenforced for electric bicycles like in Copenhagen. I can't imagine any cop pulling someone over who isn't doing something stupid.
And laws can be changed. If these travel at roughly bicycle speeds, in bicycle right-of-ways, let's regulate them like bicycles, not cars.
I doubt it is an IR remote. Infrared is too directional. Virtually all wireless electric skateboard remotes use RF, typically in the 10-100 MHz range. My electric skateboard remote even has little aluminum pads on the handle in order to use the rider's skin/body as an antenna (!)
I have to wonder though, that kickstarter may not be the best platform for them to get funding for such a project.
It seems that most people fund projects on kickstarter because they wish to receive a sample of the soon to be made product, however in this case a long board seems to be geared towards a younger audience, of which usually wouldn't have $1100-$1200 to spend on such a luxury good.
Great work though! Would definitely be interesting to see people ride uphill.
A great way to train yourself for the type of lateral position front/back balance needed for all types of boarding (skate, snow, surf) is the Indoboard.
I'd recommend the longer "Pro" model if you're targeting longboard skateboarding.
It's amazing how much Indoboard helps. It will quickly give you an innate sense for where to position your feet, how far forward or backward to lean, and (for a shortbaord) when you're approaching that "oh shit" threshold where the board will fly out from your feet like a banana.
After that, get a longboard and start slow in as much empty pavement space you can find. Try to always keep your knees bent. Start with kicking in front (i.e. the way you're facing) with your back foot instead of in back with your front foot.
Beware of cracks.. beware of hills- even gradual ones. Mentally prepare yourself for some bloody knees, elbows, and palms. Enjoy- it is a really fun way to get around short distances.
171 comments
[ 4.0 ms ] story [ 226 ms ] threadIf not, why would I choose this over all the other electric skateboards?
Is it safe to use on the steep downgrades you have in SF? Is it useless to use when going uphill on those same hills?
It is very capable at uphill climbing and downhill braking. Our ability to stay standing on it is usually the limiting factor.
As for why you would choose this over others, it's the lightest, has way more power than most, and has a fantastic design and riding experience.
I don't think there's any way to make a safe powerful brake system for skateboards unless you're ready to do the stale fish maneuver, i.e. hit the brake button and grab the board, which, if there's a kiteboard-style handle, seems plausible
OTW, you have to learn power slides to make drastic decelerations, or bail off the front and kick the board behind you, but I almost got run over a few times in SF doing that. This also only works if you're not going faster than you can run. I found that out empirically too
Not really relevant, but i saw somebody a couple years ago ride a shopping cart full of bottles (probably weighed a couple hundred pounds) down the steep hill on Haight st from Baker to Divis. He's my hero
http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/boosted-...
compared to
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0119/3292/t/4/assets/slide_...
or
http://i.imgur.com/QjhIM.png
Anyone else reminded of Dean Kamen's predictions for the segway?
I can't imagine how tours would be able to operate 12-15 mile 2 hour "walking" tours otherwise. You're able to see a significant part of a city from eye level without a huge amount of physical effort.
Is there a certain terrain or area which suits these boards or are they good for any urban street type scenario.
At that price, I can see no advantage over a bike or even a small motorbike. Wondering is this something that people think will do very well in the market they are targeting?
However, I wonder how strongly this is enforced...
Edit: Another .ca.gov page says they're only legal on private property: http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/motors.html.
I live and work in manhattan and for the summer I've been skating to and from work nearly every day (40ish blocks). According to my research, skateboards are considered "play" devices. Whereas bikes and all motorized vehicles are required to be in the street, skateboarders under 14 must wear a helmet and are not allowed to ride in the street. Older skateboarders have the option, but not the requirement to ride in the street. With the narrow streets, stop and go traffic, out of control cabbies, and people not used to looking for skateboarders, I feel much safer on the sidewalk.
There is a law that prevents the reckless operation of skateboards on sidewalks (http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/nycode/ADC/19/1/3/19-176.1), and I always take care to be courteous and provide plenty of space to all pedestrians.
Where there are bike lanes available, I'll take them, as that also seems to be a legal option, but I've had more run ins with pedestrians in bike lanes than on the sidewalk.
I've been stopped by cops twice and told I could not ride on the sidewalk, yelled at by private security and pedestrians, and had pedestrians step out in front of me without looking when I had complete right of way in the bike lane--causing me to have to bail.
This said, for any company looking to use skateboards to revolutionize urban travel, education campaigns at all levels will be necessary.
Being in Manhattan changes that somewhat. There are a large number of pedestrians there, so that helps with driver awareness.
As someone who lives in San Francisco and commutes using all three of bike, foot, and car (and back in college rode a skateboard around a large and busy campus) I don't think skateboards belong on the sidewalk - and definitely not motor powered ones.
Anything that has the potential to move much faster than a person running at full speed is extremely dangerous on the sidewalk for everyone involved: cars, bikes, and especially pedestrians. It breaks everyone's mental model for what could possibly be coming from where. Cars making a right turn do not expect bikes or skateboards to entering the sidewalk at 5-10 mph from their blind spot and so they almost never check. Pedestrians turning a corner don't expect the possibility of something oncoming that is moving too fast to stop before hitting then and so they almost never look. And so on..
As an individual YOU might be a considerate skateboarder who has learned when and where to be careful. That's great, but it doesn't change the fact that there are still idiots and assholes out there that are going to do idiotic and asshole things. The only system that makes sense is: fast-stuff in one place where everyone knows to look out for fast-stuff, and slow-stuff on the sidewalk.
If I (and my skateboarding kind) should be in the street based on speed or potential speed, then so should rollerbladers, scooters, segways, motorized wheelchairs, anyone able-bodied person (as they have the potential to start running).
It's a complex issue and courtesy and being alert go a long way... as well as knowing the law. Wherever I'm supposed to be by law (NYC law leans toward the sidewalk) is where I need to be, and other people need to respect that.
Yes, I do extend this to rollerbladers and scooters. Segues have a maximum speed of 12.5 mph and restrict their own downhill movement. I'd say they're sidewalk safe. Same with wheelchairs.
I applaud anybody who ride their board to work, but it's definitely not for most people. I think these boards are cool & will surely appeal to the skater & recreational crowd. The motors look like really promising tech as well so I think overall this is just a cool idea.
In my opinion, the laws should be uniform regardless of the device (e-bike, e-skateboard, e-whatever). This means restricted to certain types of roads, and possibly allowed on the sidewalk but with speed limits.
http://metro-board.com/low_cost_electric_skateboard_buynow.h...
I expect some cities are mulling over the regulations on e-bikes since many of them (but not all) are basically scooters but with an electric motor and useless pedals.
TBH, it's not that big of a deal (over-hyped).
P.S. I only mean regenerative breaking isn't that big of a deal. This product actually looks pretty cool to me.
On the 3rd-4th setting hills are a breeze, on the 2nd setting you still work a bit, and on the 1st setting it really just makes up for it's weight imo (motor + battery = heavy).
You can also go into resistance / negative settings (-1 to -4) is you're a masochist (or in amazing shape).
... with a price to match ($4000).
Except that it has twice the price and half the range?
Ok, seems like it's significantly ligther (12 vs 40 lbs). Any other differences?
Stronger motors, but still same speed .. strange
It doesn't even look like a skateboard. I think the reason Boosted Boards looks so awesome is the fact it actually looks like a longboard... with a motor!
Also, the difference in weight is huge. 40 lbs is something that I need two hands to pick up and is a pain to carry. Bringing the weight down to just +4 lbs over the original longboard means this is something I can actually carry under my arm.
I haven't been able to figure out how to control my speed on a hill on a sidewalk (not wide enough for turns, and I can't really powerslide yet).
Can it be used as a normal skateboard when the battery is dead?
How loud is it?
Also, is this a full electric board, or do you have the option of pushing and then you can use the motor when you want to?
So I think it could work as a non-powered board, but not very well.
Serious question by a non-skateboarer: Unlike the Segway this doesn't provide any stability assistance, right? How safe would it be for a newbie to start using this?
I'd be worried about falling off this thing. AFAIK, the Segway goes to great lengths to mitigate that risk [although GWB managed to defeat those systems :)].
The acceleration stability problem for electric longboards is actually totally solvable (and solved, just not in a commercially-available machine) by detecting the rider's weight distribution.
I built a prototype back in '06 that (unlike the zboard) had the weight sensing system distributed over the entire deck, so there was no fiddly stance that you had to maintain.
It was super intuitive to ride, even for beginners, and had just an on-off switch as a controller (I used a little car-alarm-style key fob).
I teamed up with a buddy in Vancouver to improve it, and we converted it from a single rear hub motor to dual front hub motors (so no belts or anything to wear out or break). We showed it off at the Bay Area Maker Faire in '07.
On the trip back our prototype got stolen, and real life intruded, and we haven't done much with it since. I'd love to get another unit put together soon though.
http://3wdm.blogspot.com/ for more info.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke
Also, why do they keep showing people walking their boards up stairs in the video, seems counter-intuitive.
First off, my board has a 600 watt motor and does around 20mph, which is fast in the city. I overtake most bicycles (people's faces are priceless). I cannot fathom what a 2000 watt motor would do, seems kind of life-threatening honestly. I haven't had any accidents, flew over the top a couple of times when I hit a high edge, par for the course when skateboarding, but I wouldn't want to go any faster.
My board does around 10 kilometers per charge, which is enough for a commute in the city. Not sure how well a 2000 watt motor would fare, I definitely could not accept less range. But my board has the older SLA battery, a lithium battery probably evens the score, while being lighter.
How easy is it to drive? You need experience skateboarding or you'll have quite a learning curve. The accelleration needs a good stance to not get dropped off the back, same with breaking vs. flying over the front. Turning is even more cumbersome than with a real skateboard because the board is so heavy, so you need pretty good technique (and space).
About safety: If you fall off, drop the remote etc. the board stops, the IR must be in your hand to activate and has a short range either way, so no chance of the board running away from you. As soon as you stop accellerating the board slows right down, and you can brake with the engine too (big advantage over a real skateboard). The engine is engaged all the time so you can't just roll like on a real board. Hopefully these guys solve this problem, would be useful if you're out of battery.
About sound, it's not annoying but not quiet either, your regular medium-sized electric motor. In the street it's not particularly noticeable.
About legal issues: It's illegal in the street but no one cares. I pass patrol cars all the time and most don't notice that it's not a regular skateboard, or don't care.
That said, 2kW is a lot of power! If all that could be instantaneously put down without wheel spin by a skateboard, I image it would shoot out from under your legs like a bullet out of a gun. Fun!
[1] 2000 / (75 * 9.8 * sin (15))
Which beings me to who and why would you want to ride down something so steep on a skateboard? I have a hill a mile from my house, thats ~200 vertical feet, and a around a 1/4 mile, its 12 degrees max on my GPS topo. I'm easily 35-45 mph on this, coasting. No hands descent would be NFW. 40 mph on a skateboard and there is a piece of gravel on the road, I'm not sure a Helmet will even help you with the face-plant potential.
But other than that, I think for a flat city it may be of interest. Or even a flat-ish area like soma/mission. But Manhattan? Nah. I'd pass. Maybe in the sub-urbs or exurbs? Where its just a long slog down a random road to the store or whatever would be more interesting. There is a lot of sprawl out there. And this would be cooler than a segway =D.
Bottom line = 30 degrees is sketchy, even ATGATT, on a Motorcyle.
___________
[Edit] Citaton: Just how steep is this?
A large avalanche in Montroc, France, in 1999, 300,000 cubic metres of snow slid on a 30° slope, achieving a speed of 100 km/h (60 mph). It killed 12 people in their chalets under 100,000 tons of snow, 5 meters (15 ft) deep. The mayor of Chamonix was convicted of second-degree murder for not evacuating the area, but received a suspended sentence.
TL;DR: Avalanche Risk? = Don't skate !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalanche
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Gra...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(slope)
Here in Portland I think the laws would go unenforced for electric bicycles like in Copenhagen. I can't imagine any cop pulling someone over who isn't doing something stupid.
And laws can be changed. If these travel at roughly bicycle speeds, in bicycle right-of-ways, let's regulate them like bicycles, not cars.
What I'm trying to say is: Is there a long board riding tutorial for people who just want to slowly roll around, aren't really in the "skater" scene?
In the promo video they're getting onto CalTrain. I'd love it for the quick ride over to BART/CalTrain station.
http://indoboard.com
I'd recommend the longer "Pro" model if you're targeting longboard skateboarding.
It's amazing how much Indoboard helps. It will quickly give you an innate sense for where to position your feet, how far forward or backward to lean, and (for a shortbaord) when you're approaching that "oh shit" threshold where the board will fly out from your feet like a banana.
After that, get a longboard and start slow in as much empty pavement space you can find. Try to always keep your knees bent. Start with kicking in front (i.e. the way you're facing) with your back foot instead of in back with your front foot.
Beware of cracks.. beware of hills- even gradual ones. Mentally prepare yourself for some bloody knees, elbows, and palms. Enjoy- it is a really fun way to get around short distances.