Last year Kyung Kyun Min watched an electric kickboard move down a busy city sidewalk. An abrupt accident caused injury to the scooter, the driver, and also the other citizens on the busy street. This led Kyun to ask why electric scooters aren't safer to drive, and why scooters not in use aren't easier to carry and store. Along with his design and development team at Mercane, Min began to develop Transboard, the new generation of electric scooter.
Transboard held speed, safety and stability as its three main project goals. The 350 Watt, brushless DC HUB motor is estimated to reach a top speed of 20 miles per hour. A single charge from the lithium ion 36 Volt, 8.8 Ampere hour battery is expected to give a full hour of operation, after a six hour charge. The system can hold up to 220 pounds and ride on grades up to 15 degrees.
The aluminum frame, polycarbonate body and carbon steel shaft all figure in to the Transboard's 45 pound gross weight. A ten inch air tire sits in the front with an eight inch urethane foam tire at the rear of the scooter. The entire system is 1150 x 620 x 1120 millimeters in use, and 330 x 620 x 790 millimeters when folded. An electric brake system works with the rear foot brake for quick stopping, and an LED display shows several operating metrics.
Transboard's Kickstarter page focuses on the aluminum frame design, double wishbone suspension, one touch folding system, and the aesthetic trim details. The Kickstarter page also has several iterations of prototypes showing the development of the system over the last two years. There are several electric scooters coming to market every year, and Transboard looks to be an interesting addition to the current fleet. The campaign ends on January 6 and first units are expected to ship in March, 2017.