In the competitive field of portable personal mobility, buyers have their choices including everything from scooters to hover-boards. The vehicles are all electric, all pack up for easy carrying and storage and are all meant to make commuting by walking obsolete.
The latest player in the game (the BLINK Board Electric Skateboard from Acton) turns away from the scooter model and returns to the simplest possible design — a skateboard. Add an in-house Hub-Motor from Acton, and you have a fully self-motivated transportation device any user can carry under his or her arm.
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Even with its motor and the lights built into its underside, the BLINK Board weights 9.9 pounds. It’s 27 inches long and can achieve a top speed of 15.5 mph with a range of 6.5 miles on a full charge. It charges out of any standard outlet.
The act of accelerating, decelerating or stopping is a matter of shifting weight and leaning into or out of inertia. While this board evolved beyond the simple skateboards of old with its electric motor, the surface is made of proper maple wood, and wheels are standard-sized polyurethane. While the user doesn’t need to keep that leg licking while the board is under electric power, the rider still needs to master the balance and dexterity of any skater.
The device ties in nicely with Acton’s free app. As the app does with Acton’s scooters, it interacts with the BLINK Board to indicate range, record miles traveled and track routes.
At $399, the BLINK Board sits in the middle of the Acton lineup, while offering many of the utilitarian features of the company’s other devices. If the owner can manage the requirements of a standard skateboard, that buyer should enjoy this ride.
