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The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

kickstarter.com

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Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#31

Post by riazrizvi »

IanDrake wrote: post #18

This sounds cool, but (IMO) it's actually a bad idea. When I was in my late teens / early twenties, I essentially had a 180HP version of this. It was a lot more expensive back then: $4,000 for the 1984 Chevy Blazer and $0 dollars for an extension cord we found in the garage, but going going fast on a skateboard, no matter what the method, is dangerous. The worst part of this idea is "braking". I can assure you the on…

It would seem that 180HP is indeed a bad idea. These boards are aiming for 2.5 horses, which sounds like a blast.

Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#32

Post by [deleted] »

IanDrake wrote: post #18

This sounds cool, but (IMO) it's actually a bad idea. When I was in my late teens / early twenties, I essentially had a 180HP version of this. It was a lot more expensive back then: $4,000 for the 1984 Chevy Blazer and $0 dollars for an extension cord we found in the garage, but going going fast on a skateboard, no matter what the method, is dangerous. The worst part of this idea is "braking". I can assure you the on…

[deleted]

Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#33

Post by MartinCron »

zzzmarcus wrote: post #29
MartinCron wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The zboard is a different design in that you don't have a hand-held remote, you press on footpads to accelerate/brake. I would have to try them both out to see which is a better solution to the control problem. edit: another key difference is that this is 12 pounds vs the 30 to 37 pounds for the zboard. That difference is HUGE.

Absolutely. The weight difference is definitely the biggest difference. I've ridden longboards with both foot and hand brakes. All the hand braking boards I've tried had a cable from the board to the controls and even with that hassle, I much prefer them to the foot brakes. Moving your foot around and trying to get even pressure at 20mph is a lot more tricky than squeezing a lever.

I'm interested in getting into longboarding. Would you be willing to share the name of the hand braking board you've used?

Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#34

Post by IanDrake »

zzzmarcus wrote: post #26
IanDrake wrote: post #18

This sounds cool, but (IMO) it's actually a bad idea. When I was in my late teens / early twenties, I essentially had a 180HP version of this. It was a lot more expensive back then: $4,000 for the 1984 Chevy Blazer and $0 dollars for an extension cord we found in the garage, but going going fast on a skateboard, no matter what the method, is dangerous. The worst part of this idea is "braking". I can assure you the on…

I agree that yes, you should definitely be experienced if you're going to be going 20mph on a longboard. It's fast. But, if you've got brakes, and I've ridden both electric skateboards with brakes and non-electric skateboards with brakes before and both are easy to use, you'll probably never end up going that fast in the first place unless you're being reckless. A power slide is one way to stop, but brakes work just…

Maybe I'm thinking about it wrong. Slowing down vs. braking, I mean.

If I'm going 20mph, "braking" to me means coming to a stop in an equivalent distance as a car or bike going the same speed.

Are the brakes that you've used stable at that rate of deceleration?

Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#35

Post by njoubert »

IanDrake wrote: post #18

This sounds cool, but (IMO) it's actually a bad idea. When I was in my late teens / early twenties, I essentially had a 180HP version of this. It was a lot more expensive back then: $4,000 for the 1984 Chevy Blazer and $0 dollars for an extension cord we found in the garage, but going going fast on a skateboard, no matter what the method, is dangerous. The worst part of this idea is "braking". I can assure you the on…

Are you suggesting that, because it takes skill to operate, it's a bad idea?

I commute on my longboard every day between the parking structure on campus and my building, which is about a mile away - takes me 10 minutes of kicking the board around and working up a sweat.

An electric longboard woud fit right into my current commute, except I'd arrive at work without my shirt soaked through.

For this type of commuting, a couple of days practice in a empty parking garage or lot gets you good enough to safely commute, and if the SF hills are intimidating, you can always walk down them.

As for braking, they indicate that the remote does have a brake slider, and by using regenerative braking, they can slow the board down (to some extent). You would still need to know how to brake the board, but the board can stop itself.

This would also be a super fun toy - I already take my longboard out to race down hills, with this I get to ride up before I fly down.

But, a rollerblade version? Can you explain how that doesn't have the same concerns you raised? Rollerblades are even more difficult to brake than skateboards, and you're committed on rollerblades, while on a skateboard you can jump off and carry the board whenever it's inappropriate or too difficult to ride it. There's also zero cost to hopping on a skateboard, while rollerblades involves sitting down and changing your shoes.

I doubt this product will fix all of the transportation woes of the US (which their marketing seems to point to), but it's great for current longboarders and people already interested in unconventional transportation options.

Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#36

Post by IanDrake »

riazrizvi wrote: post #31
IanDrake wrote: post #18

This sounds cool, but (IMO) it's actually a bad idea. When I was in my late teens / early twenties, I essentially had a 180HP version of this. It was a lot more expensive back then: $4,000 for the 1984 Chevy Blazer and $0 dollars for an extension cord we found in the garage, but going going fast on a skateboard, no matter what the method, is dangerous. The worst part of this idea is "braking". I can assure you the on…

It would seem that 180HP is indeed a bad idea. These boards are aiming for 2.5 horses, which sounds like a blast.

Yes, it was a very bad idea.

Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#37

Post by njoubert »

typicalrunt wrote: post #3

Great idea. I'm surprised nobody has done this before (but they probably have, I'm no longer a skateboarder). But I'm wondering about the prices. $10 stickers and $40 t-shirts are still advertising, so people are paying to advertise for your company? That doesn't seem right. In reality, they are really trying to push people to spend $1200 for a board. Even the $1099 pledge is a complete rip-off since you spend $100 l…

There's actually a bunch of companies already making these - definitely not an original idea or even an original implementation.

Back in 2007 we used to ride electric boards around UC Berkeley, and they only cost $600.

Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#38

Post by konstruktor »

IanDrake wrote: post #18

This sounds cool, but (IMO) it's actually a bad idea. When I was in my late teens / early twenties, I essentially had a 180HP version of this. It was a lot more expensive back then: $4,000 for the 1984 Chevy Blazer and $0 dollars for an extension cord we found in the garage, but going going fast on a skateboard, no matter what the method, is dangerous. The worst part of this idea is "braking". I can assure you the on…

Your posting just made me realize how smart the segway concept is. The brake force automatically matches how much you lean back.

Re: The World's Lightest Electric Vehicle

#40

Post by liamondrop »

`The last mile of transportation is this huge problem that hasn't been solved yet`

Really? I think we've had it solved for at least several million years. Anyone that isn't capable of walking or skating a mile is certainly not going to be served by this. It looks like a cool toy, but I don't think it's going to revolutionize transportation.

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