Urban Transport

Electric-wheeled Veelo is pulling for rollerbladers

Electric-wheeled Veelo is pulling for rollerbladers
Veelo is presently on Kickstarter
Veelo is presently on Kickstarter
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Veelo is presently on Kickstarter
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Veelo is presently on Kickstarter

Although there are electric rollerblades and skateboards, sometimes people just want a temporary boost while using their existing non-electric set of wheels. That's why Veelo was invented.

Created by Canadian entrepreneur Brice Jamieson, Veelo is essentially a long stainless steel frame with a set of extendable handlebars at the back and a powered wheel at the front – it's sort of like an electric wheelbarrow without the load bed.

The wheel has a 20-inch rim, a 4-inch fat tire, and a brushless hub motor that delivers a top speed of 32 km/h (20 mph). That motor is controlled by a throttle on the handlebars, where there's also a brake lever and an LED screen that displays data such as speed and battery charge level.

Power is provided by a frame-mounted lithium battery pack, that should reportedly be good for over 32 km per charge. A regenerative braking system helps in that regard.

Other features include front and rear LED lights (including turn indicators), plus a suspension system. An app is additionally in the works, which would augment the LED display while also allowing users to tweak the device's performance.

Should you be interested, Veelo is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of CAD$1,300 (about US$989) will get you one, when and if they reach production.

The Easyglider was a similar contraption, but appears to no longer be in production. It's also possible to utilize the FlyRad electric unicycle in the same fashion, although it's short enough that users have to squat while using it.

Veelo can be seen in action, in the video below.

Sources: Kickstarter, Veelo

Veelo | Power Your Ride (Canceled)

6 comments
6 comments
Brice Jamieson
From the Veelo team, thanks for the converage!

We'll also be looking at snow testing as soon as our alpha builds are completed (still needing a few components), but for now it's been unexpectedly fun to develop and test. If all goes well we'll hopefully get the chance to show off a lot more of what this thing can do in the coming months.
Roger Butterworth
Terrifying, deadly and only the price of a second hand car... awsome...
Fairly Reasoner
No shortage of bad ideas.
michael_dowling
Sign me up for one-not!
David V
I looks great fun BUT. And this is a big BUT. You've just lost all the benefits of exercising. Of keeping fit. Of moving using one of the simplest of methods around - shoes with wheels. I am at a loss. I skate a lot. I ice skate and play ice hockey. For me there is nothing in the world like the feeling of skating. Of sliding, of swaying from side to side. The feeling of using my body to move. If you buy one of these, after a while you will just let yourself be pulled along. As for your children, if they can't keep up, then slow down for them. I dread to think what this weighs and the damage it will cause in an accident. It's huge. Not for me.
wheelz270
The marketing for this product is confused. It's a product for adrenaline junkies, for those, who are real devotees of skating and skateboarding. But the videos are skewed towards those, who are beginner and amateur sporters. A friend used a weed whacker with a wheel on it back in '93 to propel himself on his rollerblades. Looked like an utter idiot. But he was able to commute on his skates more than a few miles at decent speeds. This concept has validity, but the expense limits it. The size also limits it. The marketing, with some tempting video shots that are quickly cut, hints at decent maneuverability. But the product looks rough, clunky, rudimentary, and unfinished (what are those extra prods sticking out just behind the wheel - oh, you're using the rear swingarm off some cheapie dual suspension bike).

Your kickstarter is a year too early, sorry. You need a polished product, and you need to distinctly show how this benefits various levels of enthusiasts (I bet it can even aid people trying to learn, but you don't show that). You need to show real world conditions, such as downtown urban areas and people actually using this in a practical manner to actually get places, not just bike paths and big ass car testing lots. You also need to present this as more than just some hub motored bicycle wheel on a long fork with handlebars at the end. I can easily buy and build that myself.

I really like this, but your efforts come across way too much like the after-hours side gig done in the garage project.