Category Archives: Crowdfunded projects

New P2P Service for Unique Wheels: Rent a Segway and more at oWheelClub

Peer-2-peer businesses have permeated every retail segment, from real estate to camping equipment. In the personal transportation space, individuals have been able to share bikes (see Spinlister) and cars. But, those seeking alternative wheels (think Segways, electric scooters and unicycles) haven’t had a P2P space to go to, until now. Geneva-based oWheelClub recently launched to give individuals around the world the opportunity to rent a unique set of wheels from early adopters. P2P for these unique products makes a lot of sense, both for consumers and manufacturers of these new vehicles. The platform will allow individuals to try out expensive products before they commit to a purchase. The founder of oWheelClub also sees the service meeting the needs of travelers who want to visit a city differently and providing a new type of entertainment.

If you live in Boston, my solar panel electric scooter is now available for rent (cheaper than renting a Segway for the day BTW). So, for all of you who secretly desire to try an electric scooter, no more excuses: oWheelClub makes the transaction smooth and transparent. Check it out!

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Electric Mobility Innovation Round-up – Electric rollerblades and more

Here is a roundup of the latest in electric personal transportation equipment covered by Gizmag or discovered on Kickstarter:

Electric rollerblades: I had seen off-road roller-skates and roller blades before but I had never come across electric rollerblades until I read about Polish inventor’s Jack Skopinsi new off-road electric rollerblades. He designed these in response to customer requests for portable personal transportation that could be carried in a bag. Cost is around $1,200.

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Jack Skopinski’s Off-Road Electric Rollerblades

Electric scooter and e-bikes: ETT industries designed one of each. As Gizmag reports, the firm won a design award for the bike’s unconventional industrial design. The range on these vehicles is 50 miles (impressive) after a 5-hour charge. The scooter can travel up to 45 km/h while the bike’s top speed is 25 km/h. Scooters are more expensive at $3.8K while bikes are $2.4K.

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e-Scooter from ETT Industries

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Crowdfunded Projects for Happy Commutes

Crowdfunding sites have seen a growing number of happy commutes related projects over the last few years, from electric bikes and scooters to high tech backpacks and clothing. As I find new products with potential to enhance commutes, I will write about them, or, at a minimum pin a picture of them to Pinterest. A key goal for Happy Commutes is to create an outlet for more user testing of new commuting gear to help innovators reach their funding goals.

Boston-based readers!: If you see a commuting product that catches your fancy, give me a shout. If I get enough interest, I will try to secure a demo version for trials.

Follow my Pinterest board to stay in the loop: Follow Sophie’s board Crowdfunded Projects for Happy Commutes on Pinterest.

The Lighter eScooter

My sincere apologies. In my last post, I discussed an eScooter that I claimed was the lightest in the market, at 16.5 pounds. A Kickstarter search for scooters turned up one that is only 8.8 lbs.

A new , Chinese firm, by the name of crazy fire tech raised $175K to develop an 8.8 lbs eScooter that fits in your backpack. For their Kickstarter campaign they priced the scooters at $299, a crazy low price given the specs – light weight, battery lasts 5 years, mobile app that monitors routes, power and connects to other fellow scooter riders.

am sorry I missed this Kickstarter campaign. Hope to get my hands on one of these some day soon.  So tell us, would you ride this?