This sleek skateboard is the world’s hippest electric vehicle

If the Tesla Model S is a bit beyond your reach, here’s an electric vehicle that’s sleek, hip, and a lot more affordable – the Stary electric skateboard.

The nifty skateboard is produced by a Shanghai startup called Stary Boards, and I got a demo of a prototype in action last month on a visit to the city. Earlier today, the Stary electric skateboard launched on Kickstarter where the team is hoping to raise US$100,000 to get production rolling so that buyers can get theirs by November.

The early bird Kickstarter price of US$399 is no longer available after the electric skateboard zoomed to nearly a quarter of its funding goal in just 18 hours. Once it’s out in the wild, the retail price is US$899.

Remote rider

The Stary Boards crew in Shanghai.

A rider applies the power on the Stary electric skateboard using a small remote controller, which also features a brake that produces regenerative power for the onboard battery. One of the wheels is in fact the motor, while the slim battery is concealed in the board, which is made of a mix of fiberglass, bamboo, and Canadian maple. It can do 30 kph (18.6 mph) and, in theory, could get you 16 kilometers (10 miles) on a single charge. 93.4 cm (36.7 inches) long, it’s shaped like a longboard.

While most electric skateboards look thick and come with large wheels that raise the board up high enough to give space for the battery bump, the Stary board is so slim that it looks like a regular slab of wood.