The world of personal electric vehicles continues to bring new innovations into the world to solve transportation challenges for all the humans in the world. Linky Innovations hails from Italy and arrived at CES in Las Vegas, Nevada with its unique folding electric skateboard that packs an impressive amount of functionality into a compact, lightweight package that even comes with its own backpack.
CleanTechnica sat down with Linky’s Co-founder and CEO Paolo Pipponzi to talk about the Linky and how the board came into being. For starters, the board takes a divergent approach to the design of its electric skateboard, with a footpad at either end of the board that a bamboo and carbon fiber construction that minimize the weight of the board. The two materials also add a touch of class to the board, with bamboo up top and a carbon fiber layer underneath for strength.
Flipping the board over reveals the real magic backbone of the Linky, where an advanced polymer frame connects the two footpads to the powertrain of the board. A battery pack feeds power to a single electric motor that drives the board and transforms the board from just another folding skateboard into a powerhouse of an electric skateboard.
A quick popping of the locking mechanism reveals its hidden secret as the electric longboard quickly folds down to a mere 400mm x 280mm x 120mm | 15.7in x 11in x 4.7in and can fit into one of the three backpacks Linky’s backpack gnomes have designed for it. Ok, maybe they’re not gnomes, but the packs sure pack a lot of fun energy into them, making it not only practical, but cool to carry the board on your back.
Most importantly, at just 12.1 pounds | 5.5 kilograms, it won’t weigh you down as you haul it off to school or onto the city bus. The Linky may come in a diminutive package, but it packs a lot of functionality in at the same time. Not only does the board fold, but the overall board was designed to provide the same flex that longboard riders have come to know and love. Flexing helps make the board more fun to ride as it carves down (or up) hills, around corners or across campus.
The powertrain is comprised of a brushless DC motor that enables a top speed of 30 km/hr | 18.6 miles per hour. The motor slurps down power from the removable 125 watt-hour battery pack built from industry standard 18650 cells that allow it to travel up to 11 miles | 18 kilometers per charge. The fact that the battery is removable AND just 125 watt-hours means it can be pulled out for safe travel on airlines.
Image credit: Linky Innovations
The functionality and stats are impressive, but let’s cut to the chase and discuss the price. Linky is currently available on IndieGoGo for $999 for nicely trimmed board and backpack kit. Options for different bags, accessory kits and even a fast charger that will charge the board up to 85% in 30 minutes make it easy to put a package together to suit your lifestyle.
For more information, head over to the Linky website, the over-funded IndieGoGo campaign or find them on all the usual social media channels, if you’re into that kind of thing.
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