Recs.
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A slick-looking electric skateboard with swappable batteries and integrated lights that will appeal to pros. Controlled via a hand-held remote controller or the mobile app.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro It's quiter than many other boards
Inboard has a hub motor, which means it's inside the wheel. It's quieter compared to boards with belt drives.
Pro It's fairly weather-resistant
The in-wheel motor is coated and laminated, making it water-resistant. You don't have to worry much about riding during the rain. Still, it's best to avoid water as much as possible to prevent the wheel bearings from rusting.
Pro Strong, flexible board
This board is made with a wood core and a composite overlay, similar to the materials used in skis and snowboards. This combination of materials allows for both strength and flexibility.
Pro 1-year warranty protects your investment
A 1-year warranty is fairly long for an e-board. Warranties are especially important since most of the companies making electric skateboards are new. Also, most new companies offer only 3-month warranty, making this a great deal by comparison.
Pro Regenerative brakes that work at full charge
When the brakes are applied, the captured energy is used to provide extra charge to the battery. Applying the breaks on a downhill can refill around 30 to 40 percent of the energy required to get you back up.
It's worth noting that when the battery is at full charge, braking will cause the battery to spend energy to slow down. Once the battery is drained to about 95% of the charge, the regenerative breaking will again start working to fill up the battery.
Pro You can quickly swap batteries
You can easily replace Inboard's battery for a fresh one once it runs out of charge. This is convenient if you don't have the time or patience or a source of power to charge your board. Also, once you notice that the battery doesn't hold charge as well as it used to, you can simply replace it with a new one, instead of getting a whole new board. Not many other boards currently have the option to replace the battery pack so easily.
Pro Can be controlled using your iPhone
The Inboard iOS app allows you to control your board with a smartphone, so there's no need to carry the remote around. There's an Android version as well, but it's still behind in terms of development. Currently, you can only use it for firmware updates.
Pro It has a good battery life
The range is up to 10 miles. Although this is not as good as Zboard 2, it is better than Boosted, which is around 7 to 8 miles. Still, it is quite a bit less than Marbel's 16-mile range. But with the option to swap in a spare battery to double your range to a full 20 miles, Inboard really stands out from the crowd.
Pro Release of new software every 4-5 month
Last software update was a 40% increase in torque. It made a huge difference and they will have more updates like that.
Cons
Con It’s a brand new company with no track record
The company does not have much experience in this market and has already begun to experience delays due to manufacturing. As with all startups, there’s the potential that the company will not exist in a year’s time, rendering warranties useless. Much of the technology is new and unproven.
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Pro Got funded around 420% of what they were originally hoping on kickstarter
551 backers pledged $421,935 to help bring this project to life. Originally needed $100,000 (which they got within around 2 days time).
Out of Date Pros + Cons
Pro Fast shipping
The Inboard M1 will ship within 2 weeks of order, meaning it is one of the only boards right now where you don't need to pre-order and wait for a batch production run and/or shipment.
Con Preorders have been delayed several months
For those that pre-ordered after the September 2016, their orders will not be shipped until after January 2017.
This is also not the first time shipments have been delayed, making for some growing pains and a poor track record.
Con Expensive for a product that hasn’t been tested
The board is $1,400, and no customers have had their hands on a production unit so far. This means that you’re basically making a purchase sight-unseen. That said, it seems like a high-quality item based on the specs and materials.