Hi,
Just created an account and was told on reddit by the esk8 folks that this forum is a great place to be at - Have not been here before but so far I am impressed by everything going on here!
So yeah… I will be brutally honest now - Because I am at a dead end (roughly)
I’ve spent the last year developing a new electric skateboard (as a product to sell…) and there is a new super material from Sweden (that might actually take out carbon fiber in the future… maybe!) - This material has now been used to create the worlds first skateboard in paper.
The paper is pressed in high pressure using only stuff from the tree as a binder (As I understand it, I am not the material guy, only the guy who said let’s do it in paper)
…and the result is a strong board that can withstand jumps, tricks and even water!
Unfortunately it is made by hand and I only was able to make around 200 boards.
The board has the logo on the bottom and - No it is not drilled, nor printed or lasered.
The marks/logo is actually made inside the material (like carbon fiber strings). My personal preference is the black boards, but the brownish ones looks cool as well.
I have decided to try and sell these this summer as a “limited edition” and see how it goes. The material has been throughout tested on motorbikes and it has also been brutally tested on a regular skateboard - so we know it works quite well!
Anyway…
The board uses 600W dual motors with belt drive on the rear wheels. The battery pack is a 36 V 18650 Li-ion and the ESC is a special custom one in partner with MAD ESC that does electronics for drones etc. The battery pack is 50% done by me and by a partner that manufacturers plastic battery housings etc.
The grip tape has been done in 3 different versions, 1 that looks very “triangular” and one standard graphite/black and a white one. All of them have a thickness, like “soft” sponge to absorb the road.
I also created an app and added built in LED lights to the board and also included a USB outlet on the board that can charge phones etc.
But I have not been able to make USB C charging on this version however, but otherwise everything is in order.
The controller is a standard controller purchased from a supplier in Germany, otherwise most of the stuff are from Sweden (board, product box, motors etc)
I have so far assembled 100 boards myself in a garage in Sweden, Dalarna. Not recommended… +4 people would have been suited for that job.
But it is quite difficult to reach people to sell them to and I can’t really say who has made this material just yet. It is a research company and they will later go out officially worldwide with my partnership with them and I believe this will make the board have a “history” and a “stamp”.
I honestly do believe that the board itself will have a value in it in a few years, at least that is somewhat my thoughts around it… and the reason I did this!
I would really like some opinions on sales strategies and what you think, what I should do for the next version (these are limited but I will design a different type of board later, a smaller one or a longboard)
…If you like it, or if you do not like it etc… All opinions are welcome!
I will sell it for 500 USD (roughly) and I do think this will make a win-win if the board itself will be valuable in a few years. I won’t make much off this since it took me 14 months to do this and sleepness nights, but I believe more in creating and doing cool and unique stuff!
If all my work has been for nothing with the electric drive train, I could just sell the boards as is as regular skateboards with trucks… Problem is I have CNC:d holes for the battery mounts on all my 200 boards…
But I really hope I can sell these and make a community around it - and perhaps meet folks that want to change the world as well and someone might want to become partners in this or future projects… (if you want to help me sell these for example)
Sorry for the long post… Thanks for reading!
Maybe in the future I will release a skateboard without wheels…something else…
