The Story Between Me and Uditer Electric Skateboard
When I resigned from Huawei as a senior engineer 3 years ago, I would not have thought I would be engaged in the electric skateboard industry because the two industries are quite different.
The other day, I saw someone playing on an electric skateboard on the street. The first thing I thought about this was how cool it is. In the past, I’ve seen a normal skateboard, but never knew it could be motorized. At that time, I was extremely impressed. After a few months, my friend also bought an electric skateboard when we went out for fun. I was pretty curious about how it feels to ride it. After being scared at the beginning, it was amazing to be able to control it to slide smoothly. I started to fall in love with this sport.
Then I searched on Google about what e-skateboard brand to buy. There are quite a few options available. Some big brands are too expensive and might not be suitable for beginners such as myself. After doing some research, I was able to find one that was relatively cheaper. While riding, I noticed that the board is too hard, and the battery quickly runs out. On Reddit and several other forums, I participated in discussions about what makes a good skateboard. In this period, I found my partners. Since most of us have engineering backgrounds, why not create our own electric skateboard? In doing this, I can determine the good features and qualities that I can share with other people. We soon founded an electric skateboard company together, called Uditer Electric Skateboard. Udi is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning torch, a burning stick. Ter is the short name for Terbium. It is a critical element used in many technological products, such as circuit boards that transport power. We hope that we leverage our passion, knowledge, and technology in building products that could lead people to move forward at night.
With several months of study, we gained a deeper understanding of electric skateboards and the industry. Everything was challenging in the beginning. A number of teams needed to be recruited, suppliers need to be contacted, and factories had to be built. Among all the things, the most challenging part is to design our product in a way that customers or riders love it. We must design our products to address the pain points of our customers. For a long time, this has been the No.1 question in our whole team’s mind.
We found that many customers have relatively high requirements for riding distance following a series of investigations and studies. When they return from having fun, they are unable to ride back on their skateboards because the battery does not hold a charge. Moreover, the market has no products that can easily solve their problems. For this reason, we designed our electric skateboard battery and its cover so that they can be changed in a matter of ten seconds. No screwdriver or other tools are even required! Since people can easily switch from one battery to another outside, the riding distance can be doubled from 20–25 miles to 40–50 miles, and we won’t have to worry about how many miles we have already traveled.
After a series of tests, we found that the battery connection would become loose and cause power loss. Occasionally, it happens when riding on a road that isn’t flat. After a period of riding, the connection will fail due to the bump. Thus, we made some improvements, switching to an aviation connector plug to make it possible to connect tightly without disconnecting. The battery we use is 7.8A 328Wh and it can provide a range of 25 miles. As this battery is so powerful, it would be even better if it had a USB port that could charge the smartphone.
In addition, we discovered that our electric skateboards might not be suitable for some people after we let some of our friends ride them. It’s cool to ride, but people can also be nervous in the beginning before they get the hang of it. To make it easier for beginners, we started thinking of ways to make it easier. The scooter is also moving fast, but it has a handlebar so people can ride it safely. How about adding a handlebar to the skateboard? Next, we design a handlebar to be placed on top of the skateboard and the handlebar should be firm and easily assembled or disassembled. Adding the handlebar has effectively transformed our product into an electric scooter skateboard, which we call it “scooterboard”.
Yes, being able to hold something in hand while skateboarding on the road is more comfortable and safer. In some countries, this feature also complies with the law. There is, however, a potential problem. People get used to the board eventually and don’t need it anymore as they get more comfortable. Afterward, it could just be put in the garage as it has a short lifespan. Handles are not marketable unless there is greater demand for them.
While skateboarding, I sometimes carry my camera or my phone to take photos or videos. I would really appreciate it if the camera could be mounted on my skateboard so my hand could be relieved. A camera mount tripod and a handlebar combination is a good idea. In addition to helping beginners at the beginning, it can also help some people place the camera to take vlogs and photos. When not in use, the handlebar can be used as a tripod on the ground.
A few months ago, we provided a batch of samples to some people for testing, and they provided some positive feedback. They love the ultra-strong battery and the quick-change design. For beginners, children, and elderly people, the handlebar is extremely useful. Thus, they can participate in the e-skateboarding sport as well. We became more confident in our products as a result of the feedback. Recently, we have begun to promote our brand so that our products will gain more and more popularity.
A good product is never perfect at first. To bring our customers the best product possible, we strive to stay positive and to make the best efforts possible.
