If you have yet to hop on a souped-up skateboard but rather like the idea of tearing around the streets on something other than your boring old bicycle, then you might want to take a couple of minutes to check out the IvoryBoard.
The stylish-looking, battery-powered personal transporter offers an impressive top speed of 25 mph — that’s a shade faster than the popular Boosted board that YouTube star Casey Neistat uses for his hair-raising outings on the streets of Manhattan.
With an impressive 18-mile range, you’ll be just fine for the bulk of your trips, though here’s the neat part — the battery receives a charge every time you brake, increasing its range in the process. Still concerned about juice? Then buy an extra battery and swap it out in a few seconds when the original runs flat.
Anyway, there may be times when you want to use it without electrical power. In that case, you’re all set, as its creators have designed it to work “exactly like a standard longboard when powered off,” giving riders “a frictionless ride that glides smoothly like a regular skateboard.”
As you’d expect, the board comes with its own remote speed controller, designed with a ring-like finger-hold so it doesn’t slip off when you’re making a sharp turn.
Drawbacks? Well, the machine tips the scales at 17 pounds, which is a little heavier than many of the other electric skateboards currently on the market, so if you think you’ll be carrying it about a fair bit and you prefer to keep things light, then you might want to look at the alternatives on the market.
Recently racing through its Kickstarter goal, the Aussie-based startup behind the IvoryBoard is planning to send out the first units as early as next month.
There is one snag for early adopters, though. The accompanying iOS and Android app, which offer information on speed and battery level, is unlikely to launch with the board, instead arriving “within six months” of March 23, the date the campaign ends.
Shipping to anywhere in the world, the IvoryBoard is expected to retail for about $1,180, though make a pledge now and you can secure one for $755.
