$1500 may seem like a lot for such a small piece of hardware, but it is a form of transportation. As someone else mentioned in this thread, in 3 months they reduced their uber bill by $1500 after only 3 months of owning a board.
That's not exactly a fair comparison. Compare it instead to a bike, which can be bought used for under $500, will last much longer, is much less likely to break, and doesn't need to be charged daily.
Or, as parent implied, compare it to a skateboard: Under $200 new, no recharging, fewer things that can fail, lasts for years (might need to replace the deck a few times, $50 each), easier to transport, doesn't make you look weird.[1]
[1] I know in places like SF and NYC nobody will bat an eye at somebody riding this, but in cities like Baltimore, the owners of a Boosted Board probably number in the single-digits.
Actually, we see people using it because they prefer it to a bike in certain situations. It's compatible with most public transit and ridesharing, and there's little to no risk of theft. Compared to a normal skateboard or bike, you also don't risk being sweaty when you arrive at work. Bikes also require more regular maintenance, which isn't expensive but can be time-consuming.
We've seen it enthusiastically adopted in many cities outside SF and NY.
You just said that it removes a bikes greatest feature: the possibility of exercising while commuting. It's a lot healthier, greener, and a better use of my time.
Agreed. But we've discovered from users of the board that in hilly or hot areas, having exercised on their way to work and arriving sweaty is a non-starter.
> Agreed. But we've discovered from users of the board that in hilly or hot areas, having exercised on their way to work and arriving sweaty is a non-starter
Non-starter - really? How many workplaces don't have showers? I'm in a developing country and we have showers at our office.
And yet cars seem to pervade your point of view... Exercise is hardly a magic bullet for health. And stinking at your job due to sweat, feeling uncomfortable, and being less productive is a tradeoff for most people. It's still somewhat of a workout to ride the boosted if you set the trucks tight, calf muscles definitely get a workout. But even so, your POV is a bit narrow sighted.
It's a totally fair comparison if Uber is what Boosted Boards are replacing, which it has for me as well.
Anecdote: the other day I had lunch with coworkers 2 miles from our office in SF. I happened to have my board, so I rode it back while they Ubered back. We left at the same time. I beat them back to the office by 5 minutes.
That probably wouldn't have happened on a bike or skateboard, but if it did I'd be sweaty as hell. Plus I'd have to lock up my bike in the garage.
I'm convinced electric skateboards are the fastest, cheapest, most convenient, and most fun (albeit dangerous) form of transportation in a dense city like SF.
The uber comparison is more fair than your comparisons. Ok, yes the bike. But the bike isn't something that you can take with you everywhere, it's not nearly as easy to bring it on the train or grab a bus or if someone is picking you up somewhere you'd need them to be able to pick up your bike. An uber solves all above mentioned issues, however it's exepensive. A skateboard does solve as well, but using a skateboard as a means to get from point a to point b is less than ideal and the lack of brakes and numerous other options make it a non-option for a lot of people and why skateboarding is a culture instead of any everyman type situation. Enter the boosted board now you have a relatively easy way to get around on a skateboard and people that were turned off by the inconvenience have now a much more convenient and even more convenient way of doing things that is extremely portable you can pick it up and carry it with you don't have to worry about finding a spot to lock it up. The original comparison is not exactly fair you are right, but your comparison relative that isn't even remotely fair or showing of an understanding of why there is a market for electric skateboards.
Comparing a $1500 electric skateboard to a used bike isn't a fair comparison either (especially with assumptions like the bike will last longer, less likely to break). I can show you a list of a few hundred to thousands of bikes that are more expensive than $1500. I could also show you a list of electric bikes that are more expensive than $1500.
My point is that to comparable products or modes of transportation, electric bike, segway, car, uber, taxi's, $1500 isn't a ton of money.
Have you guys ever thought about selling a solar recharger for the boards, or is that completely impractical (like, it would take all day or something)?
I ask because a board like this would be pretty neat for long boarding long distance like my brother and me have planned this summer (riding from Miami to Key West), where you might want to just rest while the board does the work for a few miles, every once in a while. If it could solar charge while manually riding in a matter of 90 min or something, that would be pretty epic.
I think that would be pretty tough given how large the solar panel would need to be (~100 watts to charge the 99 watt-hour battery in 90 minutes), and the need to keep it oriented towards the sun.
broke both arms in six months of use! Assuming the person was in a cast for six weeks and didn't use the board while in a cast, they spent half the time not using the board as they did using it.
A skateboard is not a very efficient mode of transportation. It's about as fast as jogging. The boosted board is more like a bike...specifically, it's comparable to an electric bike, except that you trade off range to get greater portability (pretty useful to have in areas where bike theft is common).
Calling it a 'toy' is silly, and obviously intended just to be insulting. If someone buys a nice road bike to get to work, is that a 'toy'?
I never can get over the price for a Boosted board. $1500. Wow.