Ever wished if there was a cool means of negotiating that regular commute that you have to undertake often, that is too far to walk but too short for a conventional vehicle?

Enter the ZBoard, a battery powered skateboard that you control using two pressure sensing pads at the front and rear of the skateboard. Apply pressure to the front pad and the skateboard moves forward, and ease out on the front pad and apply pressure to the rear pad and the skateboard comes to a halt. You can see the specifications of the ZBoard here.

It also features a regenerative braking technology which actually recharges the battery when attempting to come to a stop, thus contributing to a green solution and increasing the range. The ZBoard is the brainchild of Ben Forman and Geoff Larson from Intuitive Motion, based in Hermosa Beach, CA. ZBoard was actually launched as a kickstarter project with the aim of raising $10k, but ended up being pledged a total of $278,767.

I think that in itself speaks volumes about the belief that the backers had on the innovative concept behind the ZBoard.


Presently the ZBoard is available in 2 options, the Classic and Pro versions; the main difference being that the Pro version has higher a performance Lithium Ion Phosphate (LiFePo4) battery pack as compared to a Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery on the Classic version. This enables the Pro version to shed off 7lbs weight and have a marginally higher top speed of 17 mph as compared to the 15 mph of the Classic. But the Pro version doubles the range you can travel on a single battery charge to 10 miles.

But these guys have gone a step further. They are in the process of launching 3 special variants as described below:

1. San Francisco Special: A ZBoard equipped with a higher torque motor and specially tuned to adapt to the inclines of San Francisco.
 
2. Santa Monica Special: Equipped with increased battery capacity and oversized smooth wheels, the surf-inspired ZBoard Santa Monica Special has increased range and a smoother ride on paved streets.

3. Stereo ZBoard Special: Play music through this ZBoard as it comes equipped with a customized battery box featuring 4 embedded speakers and has Bluetooth Connectivity to wirelessly connect your favorite MP3 Player (iPhone, iPod, Android)













































Ben was good enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for us. Read on to find out what Ben had to say about the process of creation of the ZBoard.


Ben, please introduce yourself to our readers.

I'm Ben Forman, Co-Founder of Intuitive Motion, a design-engineering team based in Hermosa Beach, CA.


What was the inspiration behind creating the Zboard? 

We (myself and Geoff Larson, IM's other Co-Founder) were looking for a better way to get home from school. We were Seniors at USC in Los Angeles, CA. Our commute home was about 1.5 miles and slightly uphill. Bikes were a boring option and we'd each had several stolen. Skateboarding uphill was slow and tiring. We thought we could design something that was more fun and portable than a bike, while being easier and faster than a skateboard.


What are the safety features built into the product? For eg. if a user accidentally manages to enter a puddle of water, will that knock out the electrical gear or damage the battery?

All of the ZBoard's electronics are sealed. While we encourage riders to avoid puddles and to not ride in the rain (water can rust out the bearings), the board as a whole is water resistant.




What are the green features of the Zboard? Could you please elaborate on them?

The ZBoard features a electric motor and regenerative braking. The electric motor releases zero "tail pipe" emissions and the braking system actually allows us to slightly recharge the battery when braking on a downhill.


What is the biggest compliment that you have received for the Zboard?

Haha - One guy told us that he talks about it so much that his girlfriend gets mad at him - I thought that was pretty funny.


When you are not working on stuff related to the Zboard, what activities do you enjoy personally?

I like to get outdoors - hiking, beach volleyball, tennis, etc.


What other designers do you look up to? If you could peek inside the studio/toolbox of any designer/artist/craftsperson, whose would it be and why?

Steve Jobs and Yves Behar - like them, we try to stay away from any unnecessary additions, doo-hickeys, graphics, racing stripes, etc.


What are your future plans for the Zboard? Are you looking at introducing more variants with other features?

Right now we're focused on the ZBoard Classic and ZBoard Pro models but we're always thinking and tinkering. We unveiled the Santa Monica and San Francisco Special Editions last month but we don't yet have a release date or price for those.

























What advice would you like to give to other start-ups?

I'd say the biggest things we've learned are 1) don't launch til you're ready 2) don't skimp on the video / website. We worked on the ZBoard for 3 years without releasing a video, making a Facebook fan page, or writing a press release. There was just no point in talking about it before we could provide a call to action aka "pre-order here". But when we launched, we went all out. We spent real money on a professional video and a solid website so we'd look ready for primetime.



You can take a look at the ZBoard specials video below: