BajaBoard: Four-Wheel Drive Electric Board
We all know what a skateboard looks like and how it works. A simple and design that must have provided you with endless hours of fun in your childhood. But what happens when a few skateboard loving engineers with automotive backgrounds team up to create something similar. You get BajaBoard.
Started By a Team In Australia.
BajaBoard was made as a hobby project by a team of engineers out of Melbourne, Australia. It is a four wheel drive all-terrain electric skateboard and has a top speed of 50km/h. The BajaBoard team discarded the traditional skateboard truck design and instead chose an independent double wishbone suspension. This independent double wishbone suspension is often seen in open wheel race cars.
The Story Behind BajaBoard.
Back in 2012, e-boards were getting very popular, and were referred to as “last-mile” commuting devices. But the legality of e-boards on roads was being questioned at times. So a trio of engineers from Melbourne resolved to produce a machine that would take themselves off the beaten path. The whole thing started in the same way many projects do, in their home garage.
Creating a device like BajaBoard was like fitting an off-road car under a snowboard. It wasn’t just a matter of putting fat tires onto a skateboard. Here, everything was designed from the ground up, including riding dynamics. The board handles partly like a snowboard and partly like a motorbike.
The engineering, prototyping, and testing process of the BajaBoard was a lengthy one, considering it was the first machine to introduce chassis and suspension design. After a number of different versions, the first BajaBoard was delivered to early adopters in August 2015. Based on feedback from the field, design has been continuously improved on, that brought the G4 in 2016.
The Controller.
- Customization: You can adjust a number of settings for both the board and the controller. There are basic functions like limiting speed and acceleration. But you can also adjust everything from braking strength, traction, and the brightness of your lights. There’s cruise control for lazy rides, and parking brake when you want to leave the board on a hill.
- Vibration Warning: The controller will vibrate like your phone to alert you in certain circumstances. This could happen when the battery level becomes too low, or you are travelling too fast, or when a function activates.
- Handy Readouts: The LCD screen on the controller provides you with real time information, including speed, throttle percentage, battery status, and signal strenght. It has a built-in odometer like that in a car. You can track riding distance even if you are out of cell range. Also, you can switch between metric and imperial units.
Some of the other features available in BajaBoard’s patent pending design are:
- Adjustable ride height & stiffness by adjusting the shock absorbers.
- Adjustable front and rear wheels.
- Dual throttle controller will help you convert BajaBoard from four wheel drive to rear wheel drive.
- Regenerative braking.
- Over 30 km drive range, with replaceable lithium battery pack.
Support The Campaign!
With everything included, the BajaBoard comes in at just under 20kg, and can be transported in the back of a car or on a roof rack. BajaBoard has started a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise funds and complete the final design of the device and proceed with the production.
Bharat Mamtora is Online Marketer at Nimblechapps Mobile Game Development Company. We provide mobile game development services for iOS and Android Platform.