A couple of days ago, we got an email that stood out a little from the usual inbox flow. It asked us to come down to Rålambshovsparken to test out a skateboard, specifically an e-skateboard. Basically, if the name doesn’t give it away, an e-skateboard is a board with an electric motor attached, for engine-driven skateboarding. The company that reached out to us was Mellow, a Hamburg-based start-up with an eye on pitching their board to the Stockholm commuter market. The idea is this: instead of cramming yourself into the tunnelbanan every morning, you can take your e-board, which is specially designed for longer distance travel (hence the motor). If it rains or the weather turns ugly in some other way, you can pick up your board and hop onto the nearest bus or T-Bana station (as an additional feature, the Mellow is also small enough to be taken as hand luggage on flights). It’s controlled by a handheld remote that adjusts the board’s speed, breaks and allows you to choose between four different transport settings. We went to get a demonstration of the board from Mellow’s Alexis de Tarade and chat about it with the company’s Sanna Krull.

So is the E-Skateboard intended as a commuting product?

Sanna: Yes. Basically, how you use it is up to the user, but what our founder had in mind was a commuting tool. Taking the extra mile, getting emissions down [Mellow’s carbon emissions comparison document can be found here] . He always dreamed of asphalt surfing, he comes from a surfing and snowboarding background so his dream was to surf to work. He read an article that said that the number one reason Americans were depressed was due to their way to work, and this got us thinking. Taking the train or sitting in your car for an hour getting frustrated is really bad for people. So this is a way for people who like to be active and enjoy the outdoors to get to work. A fun way to commute.

Where did the idea for the board come from and how is it developed?

Sanna: The idea is like probably now ten years old. Our founder sat in his garage for quite some time, with the dream of surfing in the city. So he came to the idea that he needed to electrify his skateboard. So he got his buddy on board, who was a technician at BMW, and those two then created the Mellow. Three and a half years ago he went on Kickstarter with it, and he got a German e-solutions supplier TQ on board. So every part of the board is made in Germany. We wanted to make it locally, and not get batteries from China or anything like that.

Is the board intended for people who are used to skating, but want to bring it into their commute, or is it also suitable for new skaters?

Sanna: Both. To be honest, core skaters don’t like e-boards. They think it’s lazy. They’re getting into it more and more, like the longboarders really enjoy it. But for core skaters, they don’t see a need for it. So it’s basically for normal people, it’s easy to use, you don’t have to push all the time. I can speak for myself, I’m not a skater, and even my dad can do it. It’s basically made for everybody.

So what’s the board’s capacity then? You’ve got four modes right?

Sanna: Yes, four modes, and the capacity pretty much depends on how fast you’re going, how much you weigh, what the ground you’re going over is like. But we say around 12-15km on a single battery and the top speed is 40km/h, with the bigger wheels even 45km/h [the Swedish speed limit for e-boards is 25km/h].

So what is the battery life then, say for standard use?

Sanna: 12-15km, and we have two charging times. Normal charge is two and a half hours, and the fast charge is 45min.

And so what is the price range then?

Sanna: Just the motor, right now costs €1799 (19 995 kr at Kahalani). The complete package with a deck from Buddy Buddy, costs €2100. We’re also launching our Mellow-S, which is basically the same hardware but the software is different. You can only go 25km/h, and there’s no Endless mode.

If you have the complete set, is the board specially designed for the Mellow in that case?

Sanna: Yes, Buddy Buddy have made two decks, a surfer and cruiser just for us. And now we’re testing other decks, and we want to show our people that there are more boards to choose from. You can even use [the Mellow] with a penny board.

And what kind of lifespan can we expect from a Mellow?

Sanna: We have a two-year warranty, so that at least. But we have older examples that are three and a half years old. We can’t tell really how long it really lasts [as the earliest models are only three years old now], but two years at least.

For full specifications of Mellow Boards, see www.mellowboards.com.  Mellow Boards are available in Stockholm from Kahalani Skateshop, Östgötagatan 20. For more info see www.kahalani.se