Electric skateboards have literally taken to the streets within last 2 years and seen a huge rise in demand. There are lots of new companies popping up, but the king of electric skateboards right now is Boosted Boards. The company hails from California and the owners met while studying engineering at Stanford University and eventually formed the company.
Back in 2012 Boosted Boards got the ball rolling with a Kickstarter that netted a whopping 1,110 backers pledging $467,167. From a Kickstarter standpoint, this was an extremely successful campaign.
Since 2012 Boosted Boards has continually made advancements to their boards and now offer 3 variants including the Boosted Dual+, Boosted Dual and Boosted Single. The main differences between the 3 are price, top end speed, power measured in watts and board weight.
Boosted Boards – Boosted Dual+
2,000W Electric Longboard
- power 2,000 watts
- top speed 22 mph
- hill grade 25%
- range 7 miles
- weight 15 lbs
- griptape extra traction
Free U.S. ground delivery with FedEx.
Boosted Boards – Boosted Dual
1,500W Electric Longboard
- power 1,500 watts
- top speed 20 mph
- hill grade 20%
- range 7 miles
- weight 15 lbs
- griptape standard
Boosted Boards – Boosted Single
1,000W Electric Longboard
- power 1,000 watts
- top speed 18 mph
- hill grade 10%
- range 8 miles
- weight 13.5 lbs
- griptape standard
View Single Drive
Fast and Powerful
For those who are experienced boarders or thrill seekers the Boosted Dual+ is a wild ride. With 2,000 watts of power and the ability to reach speeds of 22mph, it’s so wicked fast and powerful that even the steepest hill isn’t going to be much of a problem. To give you some idea of the extra speed you can achieve on the Boosted Boards, a typical cyclists usually goes between 10 to 15 mph and a typically runner runs between 5 to 8 mph.
The power for the Boosted Dual+ comes from twin brushless DC motors. The motors pump out massive wattage. Think of some of the top Tour de France riders. These guys are the best of the best and on average generate roughly 400 – 500 watts during the race, but certainly not much more. Even in the all out sprints where maximum wattage can climb to 1,200 to 1,400, the Boosted Dual+ crushes it. Riding the Boosted Dual+ is like having 4 Tour de France riders working for you powering you up and over hills up to 25%.
How Do You Stop this thing?
The Boosted Boards are controlled by a Bluetooth hand held remote. You can accelerate or brake using the controller’s thumbwheel. The remote also serves as a indicator for displaying battery life to determine range of the board. The board’s remote requires two fingers to control including your index finger and thumb. The index figure holds down the Engage button and the thumb controls throttle wheel for speed and brakes.
What Do You Get
The boards use a Lithium Iron Phosphate 99W-Hour Battery, which are rated for 2,000+ full charge cycles. This means the batteries should last for years of use.
How Long Do These Suckers Take To Charge and How Far Can I Go?
Boosted Boards come with a compact quick charge unit that will fully charge the board in 60 minutes. A 30 minute charge will get you about 85% there. The charger is about the same size as your typical laptop charger.
On a full charge you can go roughly 7 miles for the (Boosted Dual+ or Boosted Dual) and 8 miles on the Boosted Single.
Word Of Caution – Downhill Overcharging Of A Full Battery – BRAKING DOWNHILL ON A FULL BATTERY WILL CAUSE BOARD SHUTDOWN since the regen will overcharge the battery. To prevent this from happening, the remote will warn you by beeping, and you’ll lose your braking power. Safely come to a stop before this happens, and ride on flats or uphill to drain the battery.
To me this is a design flaw that I hope Boosted Board addresses. I am no engineer, but it seems that there should be some sort of switch that gets activated to prevent Overcharging that doesn’t shut down the board’s functionality.
In my neighborhood I am surrounded by hills and if I go right from home with a fully charged board, I could easily run into this situation.
From other reviews I have read, the board’s range is pretty accurate. To get maximum milage the board should be in “eco-mode” (or easy mode) rather than “expert mode”.
These are stats from Boosted Boards website.
| Single | Eco Mode: 8 miles | Expert Mode: 6 miles | |
| Dual | Eco Mode: 7 miles | Expert Mode: 6 miles | |
| Dual+ | Eco Mode: 7 miles | Expert Mode: 6 miles | Pro Mode: 4.5 miles |
Beginner to Pro
For those that are wondering Boosted Boards wanted to make sure your ride was as safe as possible, so they implemented a few different board modes
Dual
- Beginner: Limited acceleration, top speed limit of 11 mph, no hills.
- Eco: Moderate acceleration, top speed of 16 mph, small hills.
- Expert: Be careful! High acceleration, top speed of 20 mph, and >20% grade hills.
Dual+
- Beginner: Limited acceleration, top speed limit of 11 mph, no hills.
- Eco: Moderate acceleration, top speed of 16 mph, small hills.
- Expert: Be careful! High acceleration, top speed of 20 mph, and >20% grade hills.
- Pro: Be careful! Maximum acceleration, top speed of 22 mph, and >25% grade hills. WARNING: The Throttle Wheel is much more sensitive in Expert and Pro modes.
Safety Tips – To avoid getting thrown off the back of the board
- Start by moving forward as slowly as possible.
- Move the Throttle Wheel in small increments.
- Keep a wide stance on the board.
- Keep a low center of gravity.
- Lean forward when accelerating.
- Lean backwards when braking.
Tip: To cycle through modes, you simply tap the Multi-Button 3 times (3x) until you hear an alert and see lights flash on the remote. The number of beeps you hear corresponds to the riding mode.
Is There An App For That?
Why yes there is. The Boosted iOS App gives you a readout of your board’s stats, plus gives you a way to easily choose which ride mode you want (Beginner, ECO, Advanced and PRO). The battery and motor control system are also rigged for wireless software updates. How cool is that!
Can I Ride In The Rain?
HECK YEAH YOU CAN, well with a few caveats. One of the biggest limitations to the first generation Boosted Boards is the lack of a water proofing housing. Riding the board in wet environments like rain, snow, mud, or through puddles can permanently damage the electronics and battery and also VOIDS the warranty. Let me repeat, riding in the rain will VOID the first generation warranty.
So take heed and make sure you know what mother nature is going to do.
One of my favorite Youtube channels is , he is just plain awesome and he was the one who introduced me to Boosted Boards. Huge thumbs up Casey!
Bottom Line
The Boosted Boards are so cool on so many levels. The fact that a person could commute with one is a huge plus. Anyone who lives in a City could certainly commute by board and in fact it can give you certain freedom that a bike simply can’t. Coming from someone who sweats a ton, anything that would allow me to get from point A to point B without a ton of exertion is really welcome. The fact that the boards can go up most hills without issue is amazing.
In the video realm, the boards really stand out. I have seen plenty of Youtube videos where the Vloggers use the boards to capture really dynamic footage.
The price point seems justified for what the boards can do and how much fun you can have on them.
Are there any negatives? The fact that the board can’t be used in the rain because of the warranty, could be a problem for those using it for commuting purposes. Overcharging is another issue that IMO needs to be addresses. People who live in hilly areas could be prone to over charging, which could cause potential injury when the board shuts off.
Would a Boosted Board replace my bikes? Certainly not, but they certainly would give me another option for commuting, exploring the world and having a blast while looking cool.
So what are you waiting for? Definitely check out Boosted Boards website for the latest in coolness.
Boosted Boards 2nd Generation Board
UPDATE: Boosted Boards is coming out with a 2nd generation boosted board! Key features are extended battery life and a water resistant housing. These improvements are huge and are going to make the Boosted Boards line much more robust than the 1st generation boards.
Boosted Board 2nd Generation Highlights
Two Battery Options – You will now have the option of two types of swappable batteries. A standard 99 watt-hour battery with a 6-7 miles (10-11 km) of range and a 199 watt-hour battery 12-14 miles (20-22 km) range. The more powerful199 watt-hour battery will weigh a bit more and take up more room 0.75 lbs (340 g) and slim 0.3 in (8 mm).
Water Resistant Housing – The battery, electronics, and motors are now protected against water damage from puddles and wet conditions.
They have added other cool things like a Upgraded Deck and Drivetrain, Upgraded Radio Connectivity, Accessory Port and Modular Components.
Incoming search terms:
- nyc boosted skateboardclub vloggers
- boosted board 1500 watts
- city commuter like boosted board
- 2 mile commute options on a hill
- airplanenyh
- beat boosted board for daily commute
- boosted board 1500w
- boosted board 1st generation
- use boosted board without battery
- boosted board blueprint
