The engineers at Stark Mobility were searching for a way to take the stress out of commuting. They've developed a motorized skateboard for city riding to give commuters a faster and more exciting way to travel. An Indiegogo campaign is currently running to fund the first production run of boards.
On flat terrain the current estimates are a top speed of twenty miles per hour and a range of twelve miles. The company says that these are optimal conditions with a 160 pound rider. Degradation in these numbers can be expected based on terrain, weight of the rider and outside temperature. Two electric hub motors sit in the back wheels, run by a 36 Volt 5.4 Ampere-hour battery pack. The battery pack charges in approximately two hours. Sensors in each wheel adapt to the rider's center of mass and allow for the user to control the direction after a "three minute learning curve." The board can ride on inclines up to 15 degrees, and has an intelligent braking feature. When the rider leaves the board the wheels stop and make sure the board stays within reach.
The intention is a motorized ride through a city, with the rider not distracted by remotely controlling his or her ride and just intuitively moving themselves along. An app lets the user choose between Beginner, Normal and Advanced driving modes for more or less precise control. The app also controls the board's lights, measures speed, tracks location, and lets the user monitor the battery. Without the battery pack the skateboard still behaves like a rolling skateboard, with rolling wheels and a speed controlled by the rider's pedal power.
Ever since the Segway's release at the turn of the century it's been great watching companies release motorized attempts at automating the world's sidewalk commutes. Stark Board has blown by its funding goals after launching its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign earlier this week. The campaign isn't big on technical details beyond drawings of the motors in the back wheels and the sensors on each of the skateboard tires. There's some controversy on the campaign q&a page about the battery life and motor compatibility, and Stark Mobility has committed to running more tests and presenting results before the campaign ends on December 9th. First units are expected to ship in February 2018.