After having received lots of attention with one of the first German Kickstarter campaigns in May 2015, Mellow Boards is ready to launch its high-end electric skateboard drive. The Mellow Drive is the world’s first electric drive custom-made in Germany and one of the first that can be mounted on almost any skateboard or longboard. By simply replacing the rear truck of the board the drive brings the sense of the Endless Ride from surfing or snowboarding to the streets, even if it’s just on the way from A to B. The start-up from Hamburg showcased its final product at SIA Snow Show in Denver, Colorado and ISPO Sports Show in Munich, just weeks before the first products will be shipped.
“Our ambition was to set new standards for electric skateboarding. Thanks to German engineering and preciseness, the Mellow Drive is miles beyond what we originally promised in our Kickstarter campaign.” says Kilian Green, co-founder and CTO at Mellow Boards. The high performance skateboard drive has two proprietary in-wheel motors letting the board accelerate to up to 25 mph (40 km/h) at a range of up to 9.3 miles (15 km). Whoever wants to go further benefits from the swappable, rechargeable battery pack that can also be used as a USB power bank. Additionally, a regenerative braking system feeds energy back into the battery. Exceptionally low friction in the motorized wheels also allows classic skateboarding without electric support at any time. The entire drive system is water and dust proof in all weather conditions (IP65) and comes with a two-year warranty.
For users who have longer boards and want more power it is even possible to mount a second drive, replacing the front truck, so that the board is transformed into a 4×4 riding machine with improved acceleration and uphill performance.
Intelligent power electronics offer a range of safety features. In contrast to other electric skateboard manufacturers, whose braking mechanisms shut down when the battery is fully charged, the dual braking system of the Mellow Drive effectively discharges surplus energy to the environment through a heating resistor in the drive’s magnesium frame. And just in case the drive does overheat due to a sustained braking process, the user is immediately notified through haptic, acoustic and visual signals in the handheld remote control. The one button slider device provides maximum comfort and control and lets the user choose between the 4 different riding modes (Rookie, Eco, Pro & Endless Ride). Finally, a mobile app completes the Mellow experience. It comes with advanced monitoring and control features, a 24/7 support and helps to plan trips by displaying the potential range on a map according to the battery capacity and riding mode.
“The starting point of Mellow Boards was when I tried my first e-skate. I was pretty disappointed and thought: This definitely can be done better!” recounts Johannes Schewe, founder and CEO at Mellow Boards. “It was a lucky coincidence, I met Kilian during a surf vacation in the winter of 2013/2014. As a former mechatronics specialist at BMW he contributed the necessary technical skills. The vision of the Endless Ride became our shared dream.”
The two boardsports enthusiasts founded Mellow Boards in January 2015. Extensive development, a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015 and the cooperation with investor and production partner TQ Systems have made it possible to fulfill this dream.
About Mellow Boards
Mellow Boards is a Hamburg based start-up persuing the dream of the Endless Ride – bringing the feeling of surfing and snowboarding to the streets. Three years of design, prototyping and fine-tuning were necessary to produce a creation with more than 300 custom-made individual parts which would make the dream of the Endless Ride come true. The result is a mountable electric skateboard drive – a high quality product for high-performance use, made in Germany. With the help of a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015 and the cooperation with investor and production partner TQ Systems, Mellow Boards launches the final Mellow Drive in February 2017.
