Electric Skateboard Kickstarter Promises Its Battery Won't Explode

Enjoy skateboarding but getting tired of all the pushing with your feet? There’s a new electric skateboard in town, and it’s looking to change the way you move.

Lou, the name of the Kickstarter from a Swiss startup called SoFlow, is a fully electric, Penny-style skateboard. It’s making some serious headway in the crowdfunding world, having already hit its $80,000 fundraising goal in its first week. Sitting at over $95,000 on April 20, it’s also well on its way to meeting its stretch goal of $100,000.

Lou is the “lightest, fastest and most maneuverable electric skateboard with a hidden battery in the deck and motorized wheels,” claims SoFlow. It’s also, a SoFlow spokesperson tells Inverse, durable enough to handle any of the tricks you might do on a regular Penny board, which they say is a first in the world of electronic skateboards.

Lou is made of carbon fiber, is powered by a 36V, 2AH (or 3, depending on the model) battery, and can reach a top speech of about 22 mph (or 35 kph).

“It takes two hours for a full charge, and our safety certifications are Msds, Un38.3, and CE,” says the spokesperson.

“So no one needs to worry about Lou exploding,” she adds.

Good news for anyone who got burned (hopefully not literally) by the exploding hoverboards.

The battery is good for about 12 to 15 miles, and when it dies, Lou can function manually, just like any other normal board.

The electronic board also comes with a handheld remote and a companion mobile app.

“The speed is controlled from the hand-held remote, and further customizations on speed can be made through the app that coincides with the Lou.” The reverse function on the remote will double as a hand-held braking system. Only the remote seems intended for using while riding Lou, whereas the mobile app — and all other phone features — should be best left unused while moving at speed and is intended for use before and after riding.

Despite its electric, motorized function, Lou is fully customizable in both the deck and the wheels, as well as water resistant.

The only drawback to this is, depending on the depth of your wallet, the price. Three versions of Lou are set to be sold, priced at $449, $799, and $999. The main difference between the price points is the power and battery life. The specs above are for the priciest version, Lou Board 3.0. The most inexpensive one, Lou Board 1.0, has a top speed of 17 mph and will go 6 to 9 miles. Still nothing to shake a stick at.

For those wondering about the name: The startup tells Inverse that they chose it because “lou” is the Scottish word for “love” (think the song “Skip to My Lou”), and they can’t get enough of their board.

Lou’s Kickstarter is currently slated to end on May 28, after which it will begin mass production in June with a shipping goal of July.

Correction [6/21/2017]: We removed Lou’s claim to having UL safety certification after being informed by UL that it was inaccurate.