Skateboarding has been a big cultural phenomenon since the 50’s. It has constantly been evolving, from the traditional skateboard, to the long-board, and now the electric board. The Boosted Board is another addition to the electric skateboard trend going on this year. It seems to be one of the most popular boards, being used by people like Casey Neistat who need a quick and efficient way to get around a congested cities like New York City.
The Boosted Board has an extended battery that can last for up to 14 miles of travel which is ideal for long commutes in cities. The battery is also waterproof which allows the user to safely ride around in the rain and through puddles without worrying about ruining there board and the battery is also easily replaceable with backups so riders potentially have as much travelling power as they can carry. The board is made up of a combination of fiberglass and bamboo which provides natural suspension with a more graceful ride over bumpy terrain. The wheels have a “carefully designed hourglass shape and urethane formula that flexes over bumps and grips through turns.” This quality of the wheels gives the ride an even better quality when coupled with the board. All in all this board is a huge improvement on long-boarding and is a great example of disruptive innovation. This type of board will really have a huge impact on commuting and the use of cars in congested cities.
Sources:
https://boostedboards.com/
While boosted boards are a cool invention and an innovative way to get around they will never become as mainstream as the skateboard is. Not only do boosted boards take away a key part of skateboarding, the propelling yourself part, they are not nearly as safe as regular skateboards. It has been reported that some people’s boosted boards have exploded during use.
Many people are turned off by boosted boards because of price. A boosted board costs several hundreds of dollars while a regular skateboard is around the 60 dollar range. Also, the boosted board really doesn’t serve a purpose other than juts to have it and flaunt it. The battery may last for 14 hours but how many places will you go on a boosted board that are over 1 hour away? Although it is a cool invention it does not serve any real value or do anything that a motorized scooter, car, or even a bicycle cant already do.
http://gizmodo.com/we-talked-to-the-guy-whose-boosted-board-blew-up-1788560954