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Boosted Boards (YC S12) Unveils Its Magical Electric Skateboard

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81–90 of 172 posts

Re: Boosted Boards (YC S12) Unveils Its Magical Electric Skateboard

#81

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…

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.

[1] 2000 / (75 * 9.8 * sin (15))

Re: Boosted Boards (YC S12) Unveils Its Magical Electric Skateboard

#82
These contraptions are illegal to use in public and if they become popular the laws against them will be enforced immediately, because they're incredibly dangerous.

It is impossible to provide effective braking on a skateboard. The rider has absolutely no means of impeding their forward movement, so even if the board has effective brakes it's just going to throw them off. This is a minor problem if you're rolling around a skatepark, but it's a Big Fucking Deal if you're commuting in traffic.

It might be conceivable to overlook this failing if it weren't for the fact that tiny unsuspended wheels have almost no capacity to absorb bumps and road defects. Anyone who skated as a teenager will remember being thrown to the ground by a small piece of gravel stopping the wheel.

Add 2000w of tractive power and city traffic and you've got a recipe for disaster. Someone is going to die, their family will sue and they will quite rightly win enough money to bankrupt a small company. Boosted Boards are marketing their device as a vehicle and advertising it's suitability as a means of transport, which completely obliterates any defence they might have had. The laws against unlicensed motor vehicles will be enforced and the police will start confiscating them on sight. The electric skateboard returns to it's rightful place in the gimmick section of a sporting goods store, next to the mini-scooters and the moon shoes.

The bicycle has been a safe, practical and sustainable means of transport for over a century. Modern bicycles are lightweight, efficient and have excellent ride quality and braking. Short-range urban transport is a solved problem in all but marketing - Americans remain inexplicably certain that cycling is not for them.

Re: Boosted Boards (YC S12) Unveils Its Magical Electric Skateboard

#83

These contraptions are illegal to use in public and if they become popular the laws against them will be enforced immediately, because they're incredibly dangerous. It is impossible to provide effective braking on a skateboard. The rider has absolutely no means of impeding their forward movement, so even if the board has effective brakes it's just going to throw them off. This is a minor problem if you're rolling aro…

Get off my Lawn!

Re: Boosted Boards (YC S12) Unveils Its Magical Electric Skateboard

#84

"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?

Re: Boosted Boards (YC S12) Unveils Its Magical Electric Skateboard

#87

These contraptions are illegal to use in public and if they become popular the laws against them will be enforced immediately, because they're incredibly dangerous. It is impossible to provide effective braking on a skateboard. The rider has absolutely no means of impeding their forward movement, so even if the board has effective brakes it's just going to throw them off. This is a minor problem if you're rolling aro…

Over the years I have seen all kinds of contraptions used by SF SOMA commuters[1] including plenty of flimsy electric scooters and skateboards. It's possible that it happens but I haven't heard of any deaths or seen cops hassle anyone. My objection to this business would just be that their marketing is probably overselling the idea a bit, but that's par for the course.

[1] SF SOMA commuters seems to be the perfect market for this kind of thing since there are a lot of younger well-paid workers traveling 1 to 2 miles from a train stop, and the weather is nice for a lot of the year.

Re: Boosted Boards (YC S12) Unveils Its Magical Electric Skateboard

#88

These contraptions are illegal to use in public and if they become popular the laws against them will be enforced immediately, because they're incredibly dangerous. It is impossible to provide effective braking on a skateboard. The rider has absolutely no means of impeding their forward movement, so even if the board has effective brakes it's just going to throw them off. This is a minor problem if you're rolling aro…

>Short-range urban transport is a solved problem in all but marketing - Americans remain inexplicably certain that cycling is not for them.

As someone who has both biked and longboarded to work/local grocery stores/etc., I infinitely prefer longboards (in fact I don't even own a bike anymore). Much lighter, easier to carry around (if you have a backpack that can accomodate it, then it's ideal), you don't have to find a place to lock them when you enter buildings (and fear getting it stolen), much easier to carry in public transportation (the Caltrain bike car at peak hours is complete chaos— and are you even allowed to carry a bike in the MUNI/Bart?), and so on.

I've seen some people with foldable bikes, not sure if those solve all of those problems.

You do raise valid points wrt the riskiness of the device, but I still think that there's progress to be made in short range urban transportation.

Re: Boosted Boards (YC S12) Unveils Its Magical Electric Skateboard

#89

These contraptions are illegal to use in public and if they become popular the laws against them will be enforced immediately, because they're incredibly dangerous. It is impossible to provide effective braking on a skateboard. The rider has absolutely no means of impeding their forward movement, so even if the board has effective brakes it's just going to throw them off. This is a minor problem if you're rolling aro…

With the caveat that I'm not a skateboarder (I inline-skate), I don't think your assessment of the braking is right. As the brakes engage you shift your center of gravity back and you end up with, I reckon, even more stopping power than a bike, since you have more rubber-to-road surface area.

The same applies to the "tiny rock pitches you forward" argument, which I can speak to from experience. On inline skates I can plow through grass, gravel, potholes, anything, by shifting my weight back as I go over it. If something in the road catches you by surprise that's another story.

EDIT: For the rest of my counterargument, I turn to xkcd:

http://xkcd.com/139/

http://xkcd.com/409/

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