By Bahar Ferguson
It is probably safe to say that you, like almost every other child, at one point in your life had a scooter, skateboard or bicycle. Am I right? Well, the scooters, bicycles and skateboards of today have come a long way, thanks to technological advancements. E-sporting equipment has taken technology and used it for some unexpected applications. The days of having to push and actually exercise are behind us.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}
You may have seen them silently flying up a hill without a single push, seemingly defying gravity. What are these magical skateboards? Well, they aren’t magic. They are electric skateboards all made possible because of the advancement of motors and, more importantly, batteries that keep getting better and better.
If ridden conservatively, these boards can stretch to a total ride time of to up to three hours. This is impressive when you consider how small the battery has to be to fit under the board. Also impressive is the top speed. Electronic skateboards can boast top speeds of 25 mph.
Skateboards have come a long way from being a plank of wood with wheels, and that is thanks to technology. Not surprisingly, the prices reflect this technological upgrade. Lower-end models that do not have great battery life, top speed or hardware can be found as cheap as $280, while high-end models are upwards of $1,200.
Now, if mountains are more of your thing than paved roadways, electric mountain bikes are the way to go. Mountain biking is already an awesome sport that presents you with breathtaking views. So, a bike that allows you to explore more difficult terrain and ride longer distances is a win-win situation.
E-bikes even allow you to skip the chairlift or trail van. You can make it up that hill once deemed “too steep” and then enjoy the downhill part of the ride just as much as before. But don’t be fooled — just because you’ve got that added bonus of an electric motor does not make the riding experience any easier. Because you have the ability to climb more and go further, in return, you have to navigate the difficult downhill terrain. You can easily get more of a workout on an e-bike if you put in the effort.
If you are already an avid mountain biker, then you are aware of the sport’s high cost and likely won’t want to downgrade setups just to have an e-bike. This means you’ll be dropping some serious cash when making the switch to electric. When comparing eight of the best electric mountain bikes, there is not a single bike that is priced under $4,000. Curious what a top-tier mountain bike will run you? The Specialized men’s S-Works Turbo Levo will set you back a cool $12,050.
While electric skateboards and electric mountain bikes are all about the fun, electric scooters are all about the money. These moneymakers are like motorized scooters of the past but easily 20 pounds lighter and available to everyone. By now, you’ve probably seen these silent rides darting through traffic and around pedestrians. The users’ driving has led some people to hate them and some people to love them, but we all have to admit they’re a genius idea.
Companies like Lime and Bird scooters are having a huge impact on every city they are in. Their goal is to reduce the 220 billion yearly car trips. And considering 40 percent of those are less than 3 miles long, scooters could be the best way of reducing those numbers and, in return, reducing pollution.
Using one of these scooters is very simple. All you need is to download the specific scooter company’s app, connect your payment method and search the map for the closest available scooter. Once you find one of these scooters, you tap or scan the scooter's barcode, which pays the $1 unlocking fee, and then you ride off as you please, only paying 25 cents to 35 cents per mile. If that fee seems high, you could always buy a Bird scooter for $1,299, but for that same price you would get a lot of miles on a rented Bird — 4,326.5 miles to be exact.
Renting a scooter will not only get you to your destination cheaply, you will get there quickly because of their top speed of 15 mph. Oh, and you can take the bike lane or sidewalk (depending on city law) and avoid being stuck in traffic like cars are. Are you starting to wish you thought of this and owned your own scooter company? Well, stop wishing. Start one.
Bird offers the opportunity for individuals to own and operate their own fleet of electric scooters. You will get the scooters — sold to you at cost — the operational software and account software. Both the scooters and app will be custom-branded for your advertising. In return, every ride your scooters give will be charged with a service fee.
Bird is capitalizing on advances in both hardware and software technology. The live GPS, anti-theft technology and government technology (which help fleet owners comply with each location’s government policies) would all combine for an impressive app on their own. Combine this well-built app with fun-to-ride scooters and it is a clear home run.
It is always interesting to see what technology will change next and seeing so many simple devices drastically change is an exciting thing. These changes not only show that technology has no bounds, they show the life-changing impact technology can have. When technology is added to something as simple as a child’s scooter, it can — and has — become a company valued at over $1 billion. That is the power of technology.
Bahar Ferguson is president of Wasatch I.T., a Utah provider of outsourced IT services for small and medium-sized businesses.{/mprestriction}
