Over four years ago, we set out to build our own electric skateboard. Why? Because most electric skateboards out there were stuck in the past, using old school technology. Seriously, some of the most popular brands still use truck, deck, and wheel designs from over 50 years ago!
The trucks are the heart and soul of a skateboard. Even after 15 years in the e-skate industry, many big brands are sticking with these old designs. Those who try to innovate often end up with heavy, complicated beasts that neither look nor feel like a real skateboard anymore.
Throwing a battery into the mix only makes things worse. Traditional decks, when bolted onto these old trucks, can result in bulky and unattractive setups that compromise the quality of the ride.
Faced with toy-boards and big behemoths, we saw a chance to make something new—the world’s first REAL powered skateboard, which we call the Mach One.
So, what do we mean by a REAL powered skateboard? We didn’t just slap some modern parts onto a 50-year-old design and hope for the best. No way. We started by thinking about what makes a skateboard feel good. What makes it stable? How does it turn effortlessly at low speeds and carve smoothly at high speeds? How can we keep it light? At what point does it stop feeling like a skateboard? These and a bunch of other questions guided us as we reimagined the core elements of a skateboard, transforming them into a new design that could handle powerful electric motors. Most boards out there can’t deal with the speed and stress that electric skateboarding demands.
Take our trucks, for example. We looked at the latest downhill skate tech, where speeds often exceed 100 kph on public roads. Using these advanced systems as a base, we developed a new truck system specifically for powered skateboarding. Through real-world testing and tweaking, we made improvements across all aspects of truck design—optimising geometries, improving axle designs, and enhancing bushing performance, just to name a few.
But it’s not just the trucks. Every single one of the Mach One's 100+ components has been developed from scratch, specifically for powered skateboarding.
We’ve mixed cutting-edge tech with the timeless feel of traditional skateboarding to create a board that performs insanely well while staying light, nimble, and smooth. This same approach is taken on every part of the Mach One.
In our upcoming blog series, “Making the Mach One,” we’ll give you the inside scoop on how we built the most advanced electric skateboard on the planet. Plus, we’ll talk about the huge challenge of making a board like this for less than the price of a high-end bicycle.
Stay tuned for a look into the future of skateboarding!
