Safety, reliability, speed and comfort are all words we love but don’t connect to the modern day hoverboard. High demand and low supply caused customers to look in shady places to meet their hearts’ desires of obtaining a hoverboard. As history played out, the market was eventually crushed due to poor quality control, tragic accidents, and lawsuits from everyone and their mother. Though most people view hoverboards as a failure and fire risk, one company saw the potential.
Cuban takes a front seat.
Outspoken billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, noticed a gap in the market early on when it came premium hoverboards. So in 2015 he very publicly threw his hat into the ring announcing his intentions to buy the patent covering hoverboards. Months later, he backed out, stating he’ll make his very own hoverboards that respect the existing intellectual property out there. Lucky for him, when the market literally exploded in 2016, he was sitting back watching the chaos unfold while, unknown to the world, his engineers were hard at work building a new generation of hoverboards. Over a year later, we finally get to see his new company, Radical Transport with their sleek product Moov.
The rideable market
What is a rideable? A rideable is a light electric vehicle that you can pick up and move around with ease. What falls under this category? Electric longboards, e-bikes, hoverboards, foldable electric scooters, etc. So in general, all hoverboards are rideables, but not all rideables are hoverboards. And yes, you should stop saying the word “hoverboard”.
Moov can not be compared to the exploding plastic toys of the past two years, that sort of comparison would be like comparing a Tesla to a Razor scooter. One is obviously superior. Cuban’s hoverboard stands next to similar products like the Boosted Board, Urb-E, and especially the OneWheel. These are American-made, premium rideables which are growing immensely in popularity.
Unfortunately, everything good comes at a price, and the MOOV is no exception. The estimated price will be a hefty $1,300 which may seem completely absurd at first thought (especially when compared to other hoverboards on the market), but this price tag seems to be justifiable when you take a closer look .
“Since day one, we wanted to differentiate ourselves from what was already on the market,” says EJ Williams, engineer and cofounder of Radical Transport. “Even before they were exploding, existing hoverboards didn’t satisfy our need for a premium, self-balancing scooter that was fun to ride. We designed MOOV from the ground up with the priority of buying safe and reliable parts from America. This was one of Mark’s demands for the company. We’re proud to say that our product is designed and hand-built here in the USA.”
So what are you paying for with the $1,300? According to Radical Transport, you’re getting a nice serving of quality, reliability, and patriotism.
What’s so special about the MOOV?
Not only is the MOOV designed and engineered in the Texas, but the board itself is fundamentally different due to one simple characteristic: the MOOV has a solid platform deck.
Most avid hoverboarders are familiar with the swivel mechanism and dual-platform nature of the existing self-balancing toys. In fact, the famous hoverboard patent by Shane Chen was titled “Two-wheel, self balancing vehicle with independently movable foot placement sections” with emphasis on the “independently movable sections”. Zooming out from the technical nature of patents, the conclusion is that Mark Cuban didn’t bluff. He made his own hoverboard, and he made it completely new to the industry with his own IP.
The new product, Radical MOOV, may look like a traditional hoverboard to many, but after speaking with fellow Radical Transport founder and engineer, Nick Fragnito, it became clear that this is no plastic child’s toy from China. “Our solid platform chassis changed everything about the board. Because turning is now weight-based, MOOV provides a much sportier experience for the rider than any traditional hoverboard could provide. Riders can really carve into turns, spin into tricks, and cruise safely without the worry of speed wobbles when going fast.”
Conclusion
Mark Cuban made it clear that his product isn’t like anything else on the market, and he wants to distance his brand from the bad reputation of past hoverboards. Radical Transport’s Kickstarter campaign will run June 13 through July 13th. The moment of truth is here for hoverboards, and we will soon find out whether the self-balancing toy will go down as a fad of the past or a bright new beginning in a completely new market of rideables.