When it comes to living in the city, there is no shortage of ways to get around; ride sharing, public transit, cars (self-driving cars soon enough), and cycling to name a few. Of course we mustn’t forget the trusty old skateboard; portable, durable, and now, stuffed with technology. Acton Inc has created Acton Blink, an electric skateboard built with space-age materials and a nice dash of patent pending construction. The makers of Acton Blink just wrapped up their Indiegogo campaign and it was one hell of a ride: $1.35 million (2700% of goal) from over 1,800 backers.
At the core of the device are hub motors that allow for regenerative breaking, offering a significant advantage over traditional belt motors. There’s also a companion remote that enables users to control the forward/reverse functions, and which also serves as an accelerometer and brake for the board.
Acton Blink comes in three models designed to fit the budgets and practical needs of various riders.
The Blink S places an emphasis on portability, with a positioning spin towards students looking to get around campus. The board features a single hub motor which runs off 600 watts of power. It has a seven-mile range and can go up to 15 mph. It supports up to a 15% (8.6o) incline and up to 230lbs of weight. Charge time is 45 minutes.
The Blink S2 features two hub motors which use 1,000 watts of power. It supports a 14-mile range, 18mph max speed, and max 20% (12o) incline. It’s an all-around device designed with both students and general commuters in mind.
The Blink QU4TRO–the all-wheel drive model–features four hub motors which use 1,600 watts. The frame is built with carbon fiber and aircraft grade aluminum. It has a range of 22 miles, max speed of 23 mph, and supports a max incline of 30% (17o). It’s sized at 34”x9”, weighs 17lbs, and supports riders weighing up to 280lbs.
The Acton Blink is water-resistant (it can handle light splashes, though overtime with heavy water exposure the electronics can be affected), comes with integrated lights for evening visibility, and perhaps the most amazing feature is that when the battery is dead, YOU CAN JUST RIDE IT LIKE A NORMAL SKATEBOARD. Mind. Blown.
The devices also all feature a companion mobile app offered in both the Apple and Android app stores. The app allows users to snap adventures, record routes, log miles/kilometers, and even challenge themselves; there are “levels” for riders to beat in several “modes”, Beginner, Normal and Pro.
“Our goal is to transform the way people commute and cruise around town, so we wanted to create boards that are integrated machines, far superior to what eBoards once were,” says ACTON’s Co-Founder and CEO, Janelle Wang. “These aren’t just a collection of off-the-shelf parts assembled with a few electronics; we carefully designed these next generation BLINK boards with aluminum and carbon fiber materials so they are rugged but still light-weight and easy to carry. They’re ideal for any commuter from students to the business professional.”
Through the company’s website, the Blink S sells for $699, the Blink S2 for $999, and the Blink QU4TRO for $1,699. While the Indiegogo campaign has wrapped up and early perks are gone, the campaign success has afforded it an extended run–you can still sneak in discounted pre-orders for 10% off the website price. The Blink S and S2 are expected to ship in January and February of 2017 respectively, while the U4TRO should be making the rounds in April.
