Alternative, non car-based, means of transportation, are the way of the future, especially if one is within walking distance of their workplace. These seven cool and geeky skateboards allow you to do just that, and in style. Continue reading to see more.
7. FreeRider
Dubbed the Freerider Skatecycle, this hubless skateboard features “double-jointed axle [that] enables the rider to twist their body to propel the device forward.” Designed by Alon Karpman of Brooklyn Workshop and Antonio Meze, it weights only 7.3 lbs and folds for easy transportation.
6. MXB Shocker
Priced at $2999, the MXB Shocker motocross board is essentially “an electric-powered cross between a snowboard and a dirtbike that has an average range of 18 miles, recharges in two hours and – with some tweaking – can hit 35 mph.” The two-wheeled MXB Shocker features a 1,500-watt, 48-volt brushless motor producing almost 5 lb/ft of torque at around 43 amps, which is enough to propel the board to over 35 mph (56 km/h).
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5. V8 Skateboard
Australia-based V8 Supercars has built the world’s first V8-powered skateboard, and it was built specially for Tony Hawk. It packs 630-horsepower and is sure to provide lots of dangerous fun on half-pipes. No word yet on pricing or availability.
4. FiiK
Priced from $1600, the FiiK is an electric skateboard unlike any other. It features “an electric motor that can take you up to 22 miles, and it even works pretty well when you go off the sidewalk.” This isn’t the first electric skateboard we’ve encountered, but it is the most impressive with it’s three speeds, and electric anti-lock brakes.
3. ZBoard
At $499 – $799, the ZBoard is one of the (if not the) world’s only electric, weight-sensing skateboards that can hit 17mph. Riders “simply lean forward on the front footpad to accelerate and lean back on the rear footpad to brake.” The ZBoard’s front and rear foot pads that are connected to a micro-controller on the motor, and sense pressure enabling you to increase or decrease your speed easily.
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2. Brain-Controlled Skateboard
Called the “Board of Imagination”, this high-tech skateboard essentially “takes commands directly from the rider’s brainwaves and transfers them to and 800-watt motor that propels the board forward.” Think of a destination, and how fast you would like to get there, and the Board Of Imagination will take off – hitting a top speed of around 30mph. If you think that’s too fast, it will slow down.
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1. Quantum
Researchers at France’s Universite Paris Diderot have developed a supercooled, quantum hoverboard that actually levitates. Utilizing “liquid nitrogen, the team turn the platform super-cold, creating an electromagnetic field that is expelled from the inside of the board.” It’s not quantum locking — the skateboard is too big to mimic that little super-cooled disc — but it provides enough outward magnetic force to float above a rail of permanent magnets.
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