I Rode a 20 mph Electric Skateboard and, Oh My God, You Will Want To, Too
LAS VEGAS — While my colleagues spent their time trudging from one company’s booth to another at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, I was riding an electric skateboard that goes 20 miles per hour around a wide-open lot in downtown Las Vegas. God, I love my job.
The board in question is called the ZBoard 2, the aptly named follow-up to the electric skateboard ZBoard, and riding it was a blast. Available through crowd-funding site Indiegogo, the ZBoard 2 is one impressive piece of technology.
The ZBoard 2 is what’s known as a longboard, which means it’s great for riding from place to place. That’s because its oversized wheels let you roll over obstacles that would send you flying off of a standard skateboard.
Powered by a massive battery that’s partially tucked into the skateboard itself, the ZBoard 2 Blue edition, the base model, can get up to 16 miles on a single charge. The high-end Pearl edition can get 24 miles.
Better still, recharging the Blue edition takes just 90 minutes with a regular wall outlet. The Pearl edition takes more than two hours to charge, but that’s because it uses a larger battery pack.
To activate the board, you simply step on the pressure-sensitive pad positioned on its nose. The more pressure you apply to the pad, the faster you’ll go. Ease off and you’ll slow to a crawl.
Afraid you’re going too fast? The ZBoard 2 also has a pressure-sensitive pad on its tail that acts as a brake and lets you go in reverse, so you don’t have to pick up the board and reposition it every time you want to turn around.
If you’re into skating at night, the ZBoard 2 has you covered, as it comes with a headlight in the front and brake light in the back. It’s also splashproof, so if you happen to get caught in a sudden downpour, you can still skate back to safety without having to worry that you’ll ruin your ZBoard.
So what are the ZBoard 2’s drawbacks? Well, for one, it’s kind of heavy. At 16 pounds for the Blue edition and 18 pounds for the Peal edition, they are lighter than their predecessor but definitely aren’t meant for carrying over long distances.
Then there’s the price. The ZBoard 2 Blue costs $999, while the ZBoard 2 Pearl costs $1,199. But if you’ve got the money to burn, neither board will disappoint.
Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+ here.
