Boosted’s first short electric skateboard starts at $749

Boosted is best known for its orange wheel electric longboard, but that's about to change because the company has made the largest expansion so far in its product line. Today four new boards were announced in two different ways, including the company's smallest and cheapest electric skateboard, Boosted Mini.

Boosted Mini comes in two versions: a standard range (S) model that lasts up to seven miles and has a maximum speed of 18 miles per hour, and an extended range (X) that can do about 14 miles with one maximum speed of approximately 20 miles per hour. The Boosted Mini S will cost $ 749 and will be shipped in May, making it the most economical Boosted panel. The Mini X costs $ 999 and is shipped in June. Both boards have a rear kick, all-new 80mm wheels (now custom-made by Boosted), three different speed modes, and use the same remote control used in larger Boosted boards. The Mini is only 29.5 inches long, although it is still not particularly light. The S model weighs 15 pounds, and the largest battery in the X pushes its weight to 16.8 pounds.

Boosted also announced two new third-generation versions of its electric longboard today: the $ 1,399 Boosted Plus and the $ 1,599 Boosted Stealth, which are shipped in late May or early June, according to the company. Both plates feature an extended range battery of about 14 miles range, a wider, shorter and shorter custom cover made of new materials, the existing Boosted remote control and brand new 85mm wheels.

The big difference between the two is that the Stealth has five travel speeds to the Plus-four, and can reach a top speed of 24 miles per hour for the More & # 39; 20 mph. The Stealth is also adorned with gray wheels and a black and gray platform, and has metal pulleys to help handle the higher speeds while offering a slightly quieter ride. The Plus still balances the orange wheels, and the lower part of its cover is gray and white with a bamboo graphic.

The new platform on the longboards could cause some existing Boosted cyclists to stop since the bamboo cover has been a hallmark of Boosted two boards. The company promises that runners will experience the same bending with this new board, which is made primarily from a spine of poplar wood surrounded by high density foam, technology that Boosted says has been taken from snowboarding.

This composition will help the plate handle vibrations at higher speeds too, says Boosted. It also makes the platform about 430 grams lighter, although that weight is offset by the extended-range battery pack and slightly larger wheels. The result is that both the Plus and the Stealth weigh 17 pounds. In addition, the four new plates have custom trucks that, according to Boosted, are twice as strong as those used previously.

These changes in the construction of the board, even some of its components, are a sign of a great change in strategy, according to CEO Jeff Russakow. While before it still seemed that Boosted was connecting electric motors in (admittedly fit) parts of other skateboard vendors, now the company's products are "driven from scratch".

"Skateboards were not designed to do 1,500 or 2,000 miles a year at 20 miles per hour in road conditions," says Russakow The Verge . "At some point, you really have to start optimizing to basically be a heavy-duty grade-quality vehicle [company] instead of electrifying something that is more like a skateboard."

Engaging more in the manufacturing process also establishes the company to eventually go beyond electric skateboards and longboards, an idea that has existed since former CEO Sanjay Dastoor founded the company, and something Russakow has spoken about since he took over as CEO last year. "Our roadmap includes other form factors in the future of various types that may be familiar to people, and other things that may be uniquely shaped factors ", says.

Evidently, Russakow is still careful to share what these new form factors will be, and for good reason. Despite a wave of cheap competition and imitations on the electric skateboard scene, Russakow says that Boosted still grew 450 percent in financial terms in 2017 and now has around 100 employees. Adding shorter tables and, more importantly, cheaper ones to the alignment will only add fuel to that fire.

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